Same students.
Same schools.
89% bigger budget.
CVSD’s General Fund budget grew from $146.6 million to $277.3 million while enrollment grew about 11%. Now the district wants $151.85 million more, at the maximum legal tax rate.
Vote NO on Proposition 1 Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
Sources: CVSD budget documents; OSPI; NCES. Budget 2014-15 to 2025-26; enrollment 2012-13 to 2023-24. All sources
By the numbers
Spending up. Reserves down. Enrollment flat.
+57%
General Fund spending, FY2017 → FY2024
Enrollment grew 2.8% over the same period.
Source: WA State Auditor Reports 1021103 & 1037118; enrollment: CVSD, NCES
$322,062
Superintendent salary, 2024
Up from $147,900 in 2012-13.
Source: GovSalaries (2024); Know Spokane / Ballotpedia (2012-13)
4.0%
General Fund reserve, FY2024
Down from 11.4% in FY2017. The unassigned balance is −$832,083.
Source: WA State Auditor Reports 1021103 & 1037118
The promise
They said $2.40. They collected more.
When voters approved the 2024 levy of $137 million over three years, the estimated rate was $2.40 per $1,000 of assessed value. The district collected $2.45 in 2025 and about $2.50 in 2026.
- 2024 levy estimate
- Collected 2025
- Collected 2026
- New levy — legal max
Bars are drawn to scale from $0.
The new levy starts at $2.50, the highest rate state law allows, and collects $151.85 million from 2028 to 2030: $48.9 million, then $50.55 million, then $52.4 million, rising 3.5% a year.
That’s a renewal at the legal maximum, with no accountability attached.
Source: Spokesman-Review, July 31 & Sept. 15, 2026; CVSD Levy FAQ
Where the levy money goes
By the district’s own numbers, $18.07 million a year pays teachers above the state model.
The district says levy dollars cover teacher compensation above what the state funding model provides: $24,940 per full-time teacher, across 724.5 FTE teachers in 2023-24. That’s $18,069,030 a year.
“It helps us fill the gap between what the state funds for salaries versus what we have to pay our staff to be competitive within this market.”
Shannon Johnston, CVSD executive financial officer. Source: Spokesman-Review, Sept. 4, 2026
Staff salaries and benefits make up $231,196,941, or 85.1% of 2025-26 expenditures. Competitive pay is a fair goal. But it is a choice the district makes, and voters deserve to see it stated plainly before they approve the maximum rate.
Source: CVSD Budget page (2023-24 state funding model; 2025-26 salaries & benefits); Spokesman-Review, Sept. 4, 2026
The audit
Two years. Two sets of state audit findings.
- FY2023: The State Auditor found the district “did not accurately report its financial activities in accordance with accounting standards.” About $634,434 in General Fund and $120,879 in capital expenditures were booked in the wrong fiscal year. (Since corrected.)
- FY2023 and again in FY2024: The district “did not have adequate internal controls and did not comply with federal wage rate requirements” on a federally funded HVAC contract, a material weakness and material noncompliance.
- The district is no longer a state “low-risk auditee.” In FY2017 it was, with no findings.
The office asking for $151.85 million drew state audit findings two years in a row.
Source: WA State Auditor Reports 1035111 (FY2023) & 1037118 (FY2024); Report 1021103 (FY2017)
Spending vs. outcomes
Spending per student is up about 53%. Most students still aren’t proficient in math.
+53%
General Fund spending per student, FY2017 → FY2024
$11,018 → $16,856 per student.
Our calculation: audited expenditures ÷ enrollment ($151,283,337 ÷ 13,731; $237,874,461 ÷ 14,112). WA State Auditor; CVSD; NCES
38%
Middle school math proficiency
Elementary: 47%. High school: 42%.
Source: US News (OSPI data, 2021-24); Niche (2023-24)
32%
Central Valley High School math proficiency
Reading is stronger: 48% elementary, 50% middle, 74% high school.
Source: US News (OSPI data, 2021-24); Niche (2023-24)
The fair question
“But what about sports and electives?”
It’s true: the levy pays for 100% of athletics, performing arts and extracurricular activities, about $5.8 million a year. That’s roughly 12% of the 2028 levy. The district decides what gets funded first inside a $277.3 million budget. A NO vote doesn’t eliminate the levy. It sends the district back with a clear message: bring a smaller, accountable renewal.
The board can return to the ballot in February 2027, well before the new levy would begin collecting in 2028.
Source: CVSD Levy FAQ ($5.8 million); 12% is our calculation ($5.8M ÷ $48.9M)
Vote NO on Proposition 1
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Ask for a smaller levy with accountability attached, and pass these numbers along to a neighbor.