Spokane schools, parks have released their $440 million plan. Now they need to convince voters.

An ambitious $440 million plan to invest in parks and schools in every corner of the city may require a big lift to convince tax-weary voters.

The initiative is called Together Spokane, the result of months of behind-the-scenes collaboration by Spokane Public Schools and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. They now have about nine months to persuade voters to approve it.

Just more than a year ago, the Spokane Public Schools bond failed for the first time in 50 years, and voters have signaled in more than one way that they’re feeling wary of new taxes.

According to a poll released in October by business coalition Greater Spokane Incorporated, 63% of city voters feel their taxes are too high for the level of service the city provides, 78% believe the city has enough money to address its priorities but isn’t spending it wisely, and 74% believe their local government isn’t spending their tax dollars responsibly. The survey did not address public sentiment specifically about schools or parks.

That doesn’t necessarily translate directly into an unwillingness to raise taxes, however. After Cheney Public Schools’ bond proposal failed at the same time as Spokane’s last year, Cheney tried again in November and easily won enough support.

And less than a month after Greater Spokane Incorporated’s survey was released, more than 57% of voters decided to support higher sales taxes within city limits to pay for public safety investments.

Still, even that level of support won’t be enough for Spokane Public Schools, because bonds require 60% approval under state law. Last February, the attempt at a school bond failed with around 56% support.

Schools Superintendent Adam Swinyard and Parks Director Garrett Jones believe voters may be convinced by promises to accomplish more, and for less money, than when the agencies were only pitching their own tax requests. The ballot measures still will be separate, but working collaboratively will lower costs for taxpayers and stretch what is taken in.

“Our role, Garrett and I, is to listen to the community – listen to the people that said yes (to the last school bond), and listen to the people that said no, and listen to the collective whole of what they’re asking for,” Swinyard said. “And what we heard was, we want to see partnerships, we want to see smart government.”

The initiative has a wide range of high-profile supporters with politics that don’t often align, including Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown and state Sen. Marcus Riccelli, both Democrats, and Councilman Michael Cathcart and former Mayor David Condon, both Republicans.

But there may still be opposition, or at least skepticism, from some in the community.

Councilman Jonathan Bingle, a Republican, expressed full support for the parks levy, and he and Cathcart have praised the plans for major investments in parks in their historically underfunded district. Bingle also showed some appreciation for the partnership’s plans to use taxpayer money more efficiently, but he still opposed the merging of initiatives.

“I’ve been pretty openly against the partnership,” Bingle said in a Friday interview.

“That’s not to say I don’t see the real collaboration that could happen here,” he added. “But people are really upset with schools for a number of reasons. We saw the school bond fail for the first time (last year), so I’m worried it will harm the park levy instead of help it.”

Bingle pointed to lingering frustration over the decision to locate a stadium downtown instead of replacing the 70-year-old Joe Albi Stadium, disregarding a nonbinding advisory vote that received 64% support from voters. He also noted a general sense of financial burden for families in his district.

But Bingle and Condon also pointed to outside investment as evidence of good planning and organizing by government. Ten organizations are partnering with the school district and the city parks department, committing a combined $11 million to projects like turf fields, tennis courts and child care spaces. Partners include Hoopfest, the Spokane Youth Sports Association, the Boys and Girls Club, the United States Tennis Association and more.

Condon noted that past partnerships between agencies at the ballot box have been successful, including most recently the 2018 partnership between city libraries and the school district, the last time a school bond succeeded. He also believes that many of the planned projects, including easier access to child care and the potential to bring tournaments to Spokane that families would otherwise travel to, make this initiative a good value proposition for families.

“If there are programs that alleviate that (family) spending, that give them opportunities and things that they wouldn’t have gotten – I have kids in youth sports, and it’s very expensive, even going to Yakima for a day and a half,” Condon said.

Another possible challenge for the initiative: opposition from the Spokane County GOP, which campaigned against the 2024 school bond. Party Chair Rob Linebarger noted the party’s executive board will decide whether to support the initiatives after a committee vets the ballot language.

Recalling the 2024 opposition campaign, Linebarger said his party’s membership already feels “fleeced” by taxes – even when tax rates aren’t being increased, house values have been rising rapidly, often raising tax bills and the budgets of school districts.

He also argues that taxpayers aren’t getting a good return on their investment from the public school districts, pointing to standardized test scores.

“Schools are performing worse than ever,” he argued. “The levy dollars keep going up, the performance keeps going down.”

Still, Linebarger said the party listens to presentations from representatives of initiatives and is willing to be convinced that the bang is worth the buck, pointing to the party’s recent support for fire district tax measures.

In a Wednesday interview, Swinyard argued that standardized test scores can be a poor metric for student learning, arguing that high school students are rarely motivated to perform well on a test that doesn’t affect their grades or future.

“I think if we really want to know how kids are performing inside of our school, there’s going to have to be some assessment reform on how we measure it and how does it show growth,” he said.

Swinyard also believes that improved schools and after-school activities can benefit student performance.

“A safe and healthy environment is a correlate to work productivity in the workplace, and it’s also true in the classroom,” Swinyard said. “We know that being active outside the school day is a correlate with academic performance, physical health, emotional health, social health.”

It’s unclear who, if anyone, will attempt to sway the county Republicans. Swinyard acknowledged that neither agency had sat down yet with leadership from either major county party.

“I don’t think that – that’s not our role,” he said. “I mean, our role is to listen and respond, and we’ll let other people get into the political dynamics of it.”

Condon noted Thursday that he was not involved in the campaign committee for the initiative; Cathcart was not available for an interview Friday.

The Spokane County Democrats will also decide in coming months whether to support the initiative, though Chair Naida Spencer noted the organization often supports education initiatives.

“We generally support education, teachers, anything that furthers building up our youth in our community,” she said. “Teachers and schools have been penny-pinched and harassed in doing their work lately, and that’s definitely something we’re not supportive of in any form.”