Seattle voters will decide this fall whether to renew and expand the city’s Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) Levy. The City Council unanimously approved placing the $1.3 billion measure on the November ballot, doubling the size of the existing levy set to expire this year.

The proposal would significantly boost investments in early learning, K-12 support, and college access. Key elements include:

• Doubling subsidized childcare slots from 600 to 1,400
• Adding 600 seats to the Seattle Preschool Program
• Expanding school-based health centers and mental health services
• Continuing tuition-free community college through Seattle Promise
• Introducing new trade certificate pathways

The measure also includes $4.1 million to restore the Environmental Education Program, which had been slated to sunset in 2026.

While broadly popular, some advocates have raised concerns about potential levy funding for School Engagement Officers—police assigned to campuses—a program cut in 2020. The current levy text doesn’t prohibit such spending, prompting debate over how public safety dollars will be used in schools.

The levy would cost the owner of a median-priced Seattle home roughly $656 per year. Seattle voters have approved six similar education-focused levies since 1990.