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-Good morning. Good morning, everyone.
-Good morning. -Good.
Thank you all for joining us today.
I want to first start --
I'm going to start first by thanking Mayor hero,
not just for adjusting my mic,
but for his leadership
and his commitment to Seattle's children and families.
My name is Dwane Chappelle.
I'm the proud Director of the Department of Education
and Early Learning.
I also want to thank the amazing team here at Tiny Tots
for hosting us today.
And let's give them a round of applause.
[ Applause ]
And the Odessa Brown's Children's Clinic,
which is right upstairs.
I also must acknowledge our city staff, our educators,
and community partners,
this moment is possible because of your shared dedication.
Since 2018,
the citizens of Seattle have shown their commitment
to the children of our community by passing the FEPP Levy.
To date, that commitment has helped
more than 70,000 young people across the city.
That's right.
70,000 young people across the city access
high-quality life-shaping opportunities.
Today marks the next step in that commitment
as we launch the next phase of that commitment
with the Every Child Ready initiative.
This is a commitment to ensure every child in Seattle
is ready to start for kindergarten,
every child is ready to start learning in K-12,
and it's also to ensure every start is ready to launch --
every child is ready to launch into college and careers.
This bold new investment strategy
that reflects what we know to be true,
which is the earliest years of a child's life
are the foundational.
The more we can do to ensure every child is set up
for success before they start school,
the greater the impact we will have on the rest of their life.
Every Child Ready initiative ensures that more families,
especially those who don't qualify for federal
or state funding but still need support,
can access free or affordable childcare and preschool.
That includes extended daycare for working families,
services for children experiencing homelessness,
and culturally responsive early learning rooted in community.
But this initiative is also something bigger,
addressing the entire continuum of support
that spans through a child's
entire educational journey in our community,
from free preschool and childcare
to K-12 enrichment and health supports,
and tuition-free college through the Seattle Promise.
That's right.
Every Child Ready is about creating a strong,
seamless pathway for every child
from cradle to college and career.
Our investments are designed to remove barriers
and advance racial equity,
and surround young people with caring adults and opportunities
that they need to thrive.
The initiative includes renewing the Families,
Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy,
which makes transformational investments
in our youth and families.
We're seeing a real impact from the investment
we've made in our students' lives and learning.
Last year,
we served more than 2,100 children were served
through the Seattle Preschool program
and most of them were children of color.
And nearly two-thirds of the black girls in the program
started Kindergarten Ready fully ready to learn.
[ Applause ]
In K-12, over 19,000 students participated in DIL-led --
in DIL-funded after-school and summer programs,
and students receiving extra academic help
made real progress in math and reading.
And through our Seattle Promise,
1460 Seattle Public School graduates enrolled
in college tuition-free,
and nearly 70% of them were students of color.
We believe in a Seattle where every child is ready,
not just for kindergarten, but for life.
And we invest in families early when we stay with them
through every stage of learning,
we create stronger communities, stronger outcomes,
and a stronger city.
So thank you for being part of this vision,
for continuing to make it real. So with that said,
what I'm going to do is introduce our phenomenal mayor.
But before I call him up, I just want to share,
as a councilmember,
Mayor Bruce Harrell championed the 13th year
Promise scholarship which guaranteed
that every graduate could attend
South Seattle Community College tuition-free in their first year
and inspired the creation of the Seattle Promise Program.
He is a strong advocate for Seattle youth,
creating opportunities for them to thrive.
Working to expand mentorship programs,
youth employment opportunities,
and mental health supports through investments
and the Reach Out initiative. Without further ado,
let's give a warm welcome to Mayor Bruce Harrell.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you, Dwane.
Thank you, Dwane.
So, I'm very excited.
This is my excited face if you haven't seen it before.
It sort of looks like my serious face
but this is my excited face.
I had a chance to talk to a few Cleveland Eagles,
a few Franklin Quakers, a few Rainier Beach Vikings,
20-25 champions, kids going to Stanford and Rutgers.
I read about that.
There's a few Bulldogs roaming around.
But I want to say that yesterday I spent some time
at Denny International School. And these sixth, seventh,
eighth graders were asking me questions about tariffs.
I kid you not.
And I said when I was your age,
I didn't even know what a tariff was.
We are a nation in crisis.
Make no mistake about that.
But what we're doing here in Seattle
with this Levy is life-changing.
It has to be. I'll ground us in a quote.
"Education is the passport to the future.
For tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today."
That comes from Malcolm X, a civil rights leader.
So I want to thank a few folks off the bat --
Let me tighten this up a little bit.
By the way, I'm going to say everything
that Dwayne Chappelle said,
but I'm just going to say it differently so it sounds new.
He didn't leave me much to say in my notes.
Deputy Mayor Tiffany Washington,
your work on this initiative has been a champion
for the kids and families.
I want to thank you for all the work that you've done.
Councilmember Maritza Rivera, who you'll hear from,
her partnership in shaping this Levy package
and her shared focus on childcare access for families,
she is very thorough in what she does.
And when she supports something, you have to earn it.
And that is why she is a strong Councilmember.
Thank you, Councilmember, for your work.
[ Applause ]
So, I'd like to sort of describe this package in three buckets,
if you will.
Every Child Ready. Every Child Ready.
I have to -- you know, I have to deviate sometimes.
I see my adopted daughter
who babysat my kids now in a leadership position.
I see my niece out here looking at me,
seeing is my uncle going to mess up on what she says.
This is a community here,
a community of educational warriors.
And, the young folks, it's all about you.
Okay. I'm going to go back to my notes.
You know, many families cannot keep up with the inflation
and the rising cost of childcare and preschool.
So this is a critical moment
for us to invest in health, safety,
and success of Seattle children, our youth, and our families.
I saw those Tiny Tots,
what you're doing here
is nothing short of magic and beauty and brilliance,
and every good thing I could think of,
every adjective I could think of
to describe what you're doing to save
and create optimization in human beings, you are doing here.
So our first sort of bucket if you will
is about what we're doing in our childcare and pre-K work.
Attendance and test scores are lagging after the pandemic.
We have to look at the data.
Now this is a challenge we need to address head-on
with strong academic supports
and creating a healthy school environment.
So not a day goes by, literally,
where I don't have to look at funding issues.
I'm not the only one.
Cities across this nation
are looking at what's coming out of the Trump administration
and looking at the budget woes that we have
and the county has and the state has.
We hear about that every single day.
But this initiative is our collective bold vision makes
Seattle one of the best cities in the country
to start and raise a family. That is in our DNA.
We have to recreate Seattle such
that people will say this is the go-to place to bring families.
You hear that, Dr. Jones?
The go-to place in our Seattle Public Schools.
I am a Seattle Public School graduate.
My mother and father
were Seattle Public Schools graduates.
It's in my DNA.
But when I see these young folks,
this is why we're doing it.
We have to be a city
that accepts the gifts of every young person,
and we have to nurture them to reach their full potential.
And this is regardless as to who they are,
we are a welcoming city.
We welcome your talents.
[ Applause ]
So to achieve this lofty goal,
one that everyone here is committed to,
my proposal is for a six-year $1.3 billion renewal
of the Families, Education, Preschool, Promise.
It's building on the 35-year legacy
of this transformative investment in Seattle youth
and every one of our kids
and every one of our families are worth every penny of that.
-Yes, they are.
[ Applause ]
-This initiative will represent the largest investment
in Seattle children and family
since the Levy was first passed in 1990.
It's bold.
That's how we get down here in Seattle.
-That's right.
-It's a bold commitment to our youth
that we will support them at every stage of life.
The first bucket, Ready to Start.
We'll more than double access to affordable care
by adding 800 new subsidized childcare seats
serving now 1,400 children a year.
[ Applause ]
Tiny Tots shows us when you invest, it works.
We'll expand the nationally-acclaimed
Seattle Preschool program by 600 new seats.
We'll serve 3,100, 3,100 of our youngest learners every here.
And the people doing this work are so precious, so committed.
We will support the childcare workforce
by providing direct payments to 5,000 workers
supporting retention in this critical field.
[ Cheers and applause ]
We are messaging to you that we value you,
what you do for our society, and that is important work.
The second phase, if you will, Ready to Learn.
You know, a child cannot learn
when they're experiencing trauma or fear
when they have to look to their left and right every single day,
when they have to figure out a way
to cope with something they've seen or something
they've experienced.
We will establish five new school-based health centers
for a total of 34 centers in Seattle schools.
We will expand access to medical, dental,
and mental health services to 51,000 students.
Now, we'll also expand free learning supports
and enrichment programs, including after-school
and summer programming to serve 19,000 youths so they're safe,
healthy, and engaged.
And this learning supports and enhancement program,
I want to get a special shout-out to Allison Shobe.
If I'm saying it right, Shobe.
Alice, where are you, Alice?
Right there, thank you, Alice.
So Amazon and the Right Now Needs Fund
is a big partner in this space.
And so we recognize this is a best practice
and so thank you for your leadership
and thank you for Amazon's participation.
And the last bucket, if you will, will be Ready to Launch.
We do the pre-care. We do the childcare.
We do the nurturing. We do the inspiration.
Our Seattle Promise program
that Dwane Chappelle talked about
will now provide free tuition for up to two years
at Seattle Colleges, now serving 1475 scholars a year.
That's nearly 1,500 lives
that will be permanently positively affected by this.
We'll prepare the next generation of the workforce
with investments in career pathways,
including creating a new path to the trades program
with apprenticeships and skill-building
opportunities for graduates looking to enter skill trades.
Let me explain that a little better than what I just read.
We are a port city. We are a maritime city.
We're also high-tech and biotech.
We have a lot of things going on.
But first and foremost, we've always been a port --
we're an international city.
Trading partners like in Korea and Japan and Canada,
dare I say, with some of the tariff issues
we're dealing with.
But in this maritime city, there are good union,
well-paying jobs that we want everyone to take part in.
So this program now allows this next generation of workforce,
a workforce to pipe into these jobs.
And we think that could be a very viable route for people
that want an opportunity that they may not ordinarily see.
The last piece of the Ready to Launch bucket,
if you will, is helping Seattle College scholars transfer
to the University of Washington to continue their studies.
We'll have over 100 students
and we'll find out who wants to be a Husky.
A few Huskies out here. All right.
But these three buckets that I describe,
quite honestly, thank you for being here
because we cannot do it without you.
We realize that right now we -- are -- are those fans of mine?
[ Laughter ]
We realize there are -- there's a lot of uncertainty,
sometimes a lot of fear. But we are messaging to everyone
that our kids and our educators and our childcare workers
and our pre-K instruction -- instruction -- instruction.
I'll put it on a -- instruction doers.
Instruction doers. That they really matter.
And I bring a little levity to this
because this is us at our best.
We're going to get this across the finish line.
We're going to do it with you.
We're going to advocate loudly for our kids.
We're going to advocate -- there's a future your mayor,
governor, possible president right here to my left.
So I'll hand it over back to Director Chappelle
but I need to thank this educational community here.
Many of you I've known for 20, 30, 40 years,
you're old like me.
We're going to get this past the promise line
because we are on the right side of history
when we do this kind of work.
Thank you very much.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you, Mayor.
Now you all see how fantastic our mayor truly is
and it's been a pleasure working for you,
but also a pleasure for your commitment
of everything you've done.
So thank you, Mayor.
So now what I would like to do is introduce someone
that I've also had the pleasure of working with
for quite some time and it's been very rewarding,
Councilmember Rivera.
She is the chair of the select committee of the FEPP Levy.
She's also a mom of two teenage daughters
and was inspired to take action to become a city leader
after the tragic shooting at Ingraham High School.
Again, as I just mentioned,
I've had the pleasure of working with her for quite some time.
And she has truly been a passionate voice
for more affordable childcare options.
Without further ado,
let's give a round for Councilmember Rivera.
[ Applause ]
-All right. Let's see. I'm not quite as tall as our mayor.
Thank you, Mayor.
See, this is how we help each other.
-Yes, yes. Yes. -Thank you, Mayor.
Thank you, Director Chappelle, and thank you,
Mayor Harrell, for including me here today.
This is an amazing day.
It cannot be more fitting that the sun came out in Seattle
today because this is something to truly get excited
and inspired about.
What more inspiring than looking at these kids here today
and the babies that are here,
and I saw earlier Ms. Hicks in your Tiny Tots Center.
Thank you to all the amazing providers at Tiny Tots
for welcoming us here today. For 35 years,
voters have invested in our children and our families
with the families and education levies in Seattle.
We know that these investments are even more important today
in light of the federal administration's
unconscionable attacks on our working families
and our children. As a city,
we cannot replace every federal program that is being cut
or dismantled,
but here is what we can do with this important levy renewal.
We can build on Seattle's decades-long legacy
of investing in our children's academic futures
by doubling our childcare investment
and increasing enrollment and preschool by 600 slots a year.
This will help our working families
who are struggling to make ends meet,
especially as childcare costs continue to rise.
These high-quality early learning programs will set
children up for a lifetime of success.
This has been very well-researched.
We can help our K-12 students thrive
by giving them the academic and health supports
they need to be successful in school.
This includes significant investments
in mental health care,
both in-person and online, for our kids
who are still grappling with the learning losses
and the social challenges associated with living
through a global pandemic.
We can pave the way to a bright future
by providing universal access to a two-year college degree
or a Path to Trades
with our successful Seattle Promise program.
The Path to Trades is especially meaningful to me.
The daughter of a welder in a factory
whose good union job was the reason
my family could have a roof over our head and food on our table.
I want our Seattle Public School graduates
to have access to post-secondary opportunities of their choice,
whether that's a college degree or a career in the trades
that provides well-paying union jobs.
[ Applause ]
And most importantly, we can work together,
even as this administration is trying to tear us apart.
I want to highlight the partnership and collaboration
that has resulted in this levy proposal.
This truly has been a joint effort.
Mayor Harrell, I want to thank you
for this strong collaboration and for including my priorities
and those of my colleagues in this package.
We know that we serve our children and families
best when we truly engage and collaborate in one Seattle way.
And in particular,
I want to acknowledge Deputy Mayor Washington
for her incredible partnership.
[ Applause ]
I look forward to leading this proposal
through the City Council
and working with my colleagues
to put a levy renewal package on the ballot this November
that we can all be proud of.
Thank you.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you, councilmember.
Thank you, councilmember Rivera.
So, next up, what I would like to do,
though, I'm going to read a little bit
about this individual.
Many of you know her from being embedded
in this community for decades.
She is the leader of the community.
But now I'm going to be introducing the CEO
of Tiny Tots, Mrs. Angelia Hicks-Maxie.
Ms. Maxie is the CEO of the Tiny Tots Development Center.
Tiny Tots was founded by her mother, Helen Hicks,
who is on the mural in the hall right out here, in 1969.
Deeply rooted in the family legacy,
Ms. Maxie began working at Tiny Tots as a child
and is now leading it as a CEO.
Tiny Tots is a long partner with the City of Seattle,
both through our preschool program
and our childcare assistance program.
So without further ado, let's give it up for Ms. Maxie.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you so much, Mr. Chappelle,
who has been such a strong advocate for us
in the community.
We would not make it without the partnership of DIL
and we are so pleased.
There's a couple of things I want to just say off of the bat,
which is I am a Rainier Beach graduate, an alumni.
My granddaughter is currently a student there now,
so thank you, Principal Patu.
And she is also a part of the Seattle Promise program.
I really didn't even connect it until you all
started talking about that.
And I said, "Oh yeah, Tamia goes to college right now."
She does.
So, that is what she's doing as well.
I want to also thank the Mayor for his leadership
because the Seattle Preschool Program,
which we are a part of,
not only does it fund a number of the slots
that allows the children to attend here,
but the program also supports our teaching staff.
Our teaching staff are able to go back to school
to get their degrees through this program.
They're able to take time off of work
and the program is able to fund me a substitute
while my staff is getting educated to educate
these little learners.
So it's a full-circle program that works so well for us.
Finally, I want to say that my staff made this for the Mayor.
It says, "Teaching is a walk in the park."
And it's a Jurassic Park theme cup.
"When you have the support from Mayor Bruce Harrell."
[ Cheers and applause ]
We also want to thank him on behalf of all of the employees
because our staff just recently received
Seattle Childcare Retention bonuses.
Teachers work so hard every day what they do.
And during the pandemic,
the city recognized that and the Mayor has continued
to keep that program going.
And I thought I heard that it's still going to keep going.
So we're excited about that
because the teachers need to just know a little bit
that the community respects the work that they do.
So, Mayor, we respect you.
Thank you.
[ Applause ]
Thank you.
-All right.
All right, one more time for Ms. Maxie.
Y'all, let's give it up for her. Okay.
So now what I'm going to be doing,
I'm going to introduce Nisreen.
Nisreen is the School-Based Health Program Manager here
at Odessa Brown's Clinic.
And Odessa Brown is a health provider
at three school-based health centers,
which provide critical medical, dental,
and mental health services in schools,
reducing barriers to access.
So let's give Ms. Nisreen a round of applause.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you, Mayor Harrell,
and all involved in today's celebration.
My name is Nisreen El-Saadoun,
and I work at Odessa Brown Children's Clinic
as a school-based health program manager.
School-based health care plays a critical role in individual
and community health.
Vaccines, ongoing mental health therapy sessions,
dental care,
and well-child checks can all take place at school
during the day without disruption to a family's
work schedule or a student's attendance.
Odessa Brown Children's Clinic currently operates
three school-based health centers
within the Seattle School District.
This year, more than half of our appointments
were for mental health counseling,
which includes elementary and high school students.
Last year,
the 29 different school-based health centers
across Seattle Public Schools
had over 32,000 appointments by students,
with more than half of those visits
also being for mental health therapy sessions.
By reducing stigma
and fostering open communications
about mental health and substance use,
we empower young people to make informed decisions about
their health and well-being with safe, caring adults.
School-based health is not transactional care,
it is community care, it is cultural.
It is relationship building and it involves trust.
I've seen teens swing by their school-based
health center just to say hi.
I've witnessed our staff make sure students
get properly fitted and receive free helmets or life jackets
before summer break.
I've witnessed how quickly
and intentionally school-based health center staff wrap
their care around patients
who are experiencing a crisis to ensure a safety and care
plan are in place.
I've seen multidisciplinary teams find innovative solutions
to support a student's
life-saving medication management
at their school-based health center
after the team learned they could not make it
to their medical appointments outside of school.
School-based health centers celebrate each student's
successes and growth
and aim to address any challenges a student, family,
or school community may be facing holistically,
from in-classroom workshops to one-on-one
patient care to free resources and program connections.
With five new school-based health centers opening
in Seattle,
thousands of kids will have access to the quality care
they deserve,
making our communities healthier and stronger.
Thank you.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Thank you, Nisreen.
So now what I would like to do is introduce a parent,
or should I say a proud parent, of the Tiny Tots program.
Lauren Bogert has one,
and one child will soon be attending Tiny Tots so,
Ms. Bogert, please come on up say some words.
-Thank you. Hi, my name is Lauren.
This is my newest baby who will soon be a member of Tiny Tots.
I just want to talk about what a wonderful experience I've had
as a parent having my child at Tiny Tots.
This is her very first year of preschool here
and just watching how much she's grown
and developed over the last couple of months
has been amazing.
I mean, educationally, I see her doing so well.
I see her recognizing letters.
I see her like really, really interested in books and reading
and singing songs, and importantly,
like her social development has been incredible.
She was such a shy child,
and now I see her going up to other kids
at the park asking to play.
It's been so critical for her social development
as well as her educational development.
I think the biggest thing I've noticed
is my mother was a public school kindergarten teacher
for nearly 40 years, and she was in town visiting very recently.
And it was just fun to have her kind of interact
with my daughter, and she was telling me things like, wow,
at three and a half,
I'm seeing her more prepared for kindergarten
than some of the kindergarten students I've had in the past.
[ Applause ]
It's just been such a positive experience
and I can say with a lot of confidence
I am not worried about her going to kindergarten at all
and we have a full another year of preschool
so thank you, Tiny Tots.
This has been a wonderful experience.
-Thank you, Lauren.
So next up, I'm going to introduce --
you heard the Mayor earlier talk about Huskies, future Huskies,
so I am introducing a Husky by way of the Seattle Promise,
by way of Cleveland Eagles High School,
who will be graduating high school -- excuse me --
who will be graduating in a few weeks.
So her name is Fathima Garcia.
Fathima is a Seattle Promise alumni
and also serves as a Promise Ambassador,
helping more Seattle students realize
that going to college is an option in reach for them.
She also interned at the City of Seattle,
and we are excited to have her speak today
about her experience
as a first-generation college student.
Come on up, Fathima.
Let's give her a round of applause.
[ Applause ]
-Good morning, everyone.
My name is Fatima Garcia.
I'm a senior at the University of Washington.
Yes.
I'm studying Human Resources Management
at the Foster School of Business,
which is really a proud moment in my journey,
but my journey to this moment began at Seattle Central College
where I earned my associate degree in business
as a Seattle Promise Scholar. Just two years ago,
which is crazy, time flies,
I was preparing to wrap up my time at Seattle Central College
and take the next step in my academic journey.
I look back on that time with so much joy and gratitude
because I felt so deeply supported in all aspects,
from my retention specialist to the Seattle Promise team,
and overall the Seattle Promise program.
I'm actually -- this is a fun fact,
the second Seattle Promise student in my family,
I love to say that we're a Promise family.
My older brother Anthony started at South Seattle College
in 2018,
he later graduated from North Seattle College
with a bachelor's degree in international business.
Yes.
As a proud Latina
and a first-generation student raised in South Seattle,
Beacon Hill area,
I've always known that higher education was key not only
to reach my professional goals but also
to accomplish something that my parents didn't have access to.
They grew up in Guatemala and education
was a lot harder to achieve.
I grew up watching my parents working tirelessly
and physically demanding minimum wage jobs in the hotel industry
to support both our family here in the US
but also our relatives in Guatemala.
They often worked seven days a week,
coming home exhausted
but I never saw them complain
and their sacrifices taught me what true resilience looks like.
And how much of a privilege -- thank you.
And how much of a privilege
it is to pursue higher education in this country,
but also in Seattle. Even with that motivation,
the cost of college felt overwhelming.
The last thing I wanted was for my parents to take on debt
or for me to begin adulthood burdened by the cost of college
and the financial stress of paying back student loans.
But Seattle Promise completely changed that
and removed that barrier.
It allowed me to attend college without the weight of tuition,
giving me the freedom to fully focus on my studies
and I worked on the weekends
to be able to save for the education
that I'm finishing up now.
Thank you.
Seattle Promise gave me more than just financial support,
it gave me confidence in the community.
From my first days in college, through transferring to UW,
the program was with me every step of the way,
including through the path to UW program.
When I was thinking about transferring,
I didn't even know that UW Foster was capacity-constrained,
but the team really helped me navigate that
and I'm really glad that students have that bridge
from Seattle Central or Seattle
colleges to the University of Washington
as we know is such a prestigious university.
Now as I prepare to graduate
from the University of Washington,
I can say with pride
that becoming a Seattle Promise student
was one of the best decisions I've ever made
and I think it is the best.
It laid the foundation for everything I've accomplished
and for everything I still hope to achieve.
And I'm so glad that future generations have
the opportunity for accessible education here in Seattle.
Thank you.
[ Applause ]
-Thank you.
So what I'm going to do is close by saying everything
you heard today would not be possible
if we didn't have a strong and amazing mayor.
It wouldn't be possible if we didn't have very supportive
and collaborative council members such as
councilmember Rivera,
but it also wouldn't be possible if we didn't have our community
and an amazing city to make sure
that we're going to support every child
from their beginning of their journey to the end.
So we want to thank you all for being here.
There are snacks and water in the back.
And with that being said,
let's give it all a round of applause, y'all.
[ Applause ]
We're good. Oh, that's right.
And if there's questions, feel free.
Thank you.
Okay. Oh, yes.
-Mayor Harrell, this is a pretty big levy,
it's the third year in a row where we have a pretty big levy.
Considering the budget picture,
is there a concern
that the city budget is becoming too dependent
on these property tax levies?
-So, David, thanks for the question.
There's always a concern when we're going to the public
and asking people to invest.
We're always concerned about this.
And so we try to calibrate.
We try to balance, make the right balance.
And I think what you saw through Fathima's story is,
that's an investment.
Our childcare instruction -- instructors was the word
I was looking for.
You guys didn't bail me out, by the way.
Our instructors, these are investments.
These kids are investments.
So we think we reached the right amount.
And when I talk about Seattle,
once again, redefining itself as a world-class city,
we think this is a good investment.
And so, again, with the Trump volatility,
we think this is a good investment.
So we are going to advocate every chance
we get out there complying with the ethics rules.
When the council gets it, they will evaluate it.
We look forward to that robust process.
And hopefully, the voters will look favorably upon it.
[ Applause ]
And if there aren't any other questions,
I will -- did you have another one, David?
-Can you say anything more
about what your administration is doing
about the sort of negative budget forecast
that came in recently, next steps?
-Yeah, so -- and I'll give some context for those
that aren't following it.
So, right now we're projected in a roughly an $8 billion budget,
we're projected to --
we're looking at maybe $240 million deficit.
We're also looking at what can be from the federal government,
$300, $400, $450 million that could be withheld
because of our values.
We are a welcoming city.
We're also looking at another possibly $700
or $800 million that goes to the county and other organizations
that we are the beneficiary of. So every day we monitor this,
and we're working with our colleagues in Olympia
to understand our plight.
And we also realize the price of a carton of eggs
and a gallon of milk is high.
So we don't make these decisions arbitrarily.
We calibrate and we talk to people.
We talk to communities.
I use the term investments
because that's what we have to do.
We have to invest in these young folks
to make sure we become the city we want.
So we monitor.
We're going through the budget discussions.
Now again, Councilmember Rivera talked about collaboration.
These are tough decisions we have in front of us.
But this decision we believe --
I got to put a little disclaimer here.
There's some ethics rules on how much I can talk about the levy.
So I have to sort of just be general.
I'm used to being a little punchy.
So we're going to give it to the council.
But we're always concerned about the impacts on everyone.
I'll just put it that way.
I'll give you a third shot too, Dave, if you want.
No. -I mean, sure.
-No, no, I was just joking, be careful,
be careful what you're asked for.
-This is more specific to the levy, which is the safety piece.
Does that include school resource officers
or police officers?
-Good question, David.
We are being very intentional on not saying police officers,
school safety officers, care officers
because we're going to work
with the school district and Dr. Jones on his --
and congratulations on your departure,
I guess, soon, and your wife's great career.
We're going to work with the students.
We're going to be in the schools and asking,
what does safety look like for you?
Who would you like to talk to? I have talked about,
when I was at Garfield,
my football coach was a police officer,
and I was able to talk to police officers.
We realize the stakes have changed.
So we're going to work with the school district leadership
and the students and the community and the parents
and say, what does this collaboration looks like?
We want these kids to be safe.
We want them to go out and recreate and be safe.
We want them to be able to walk home
or catch the bus and be safe.
That's why in our transportation levy,
we put in $9 million for transit safety.
We don't want them to be around the remnants
of fentanyl or opioids,
or anything else like that.
So we're going to work with these students
and let them tell us what safety looks like for them.
I personally do have a strong preference
to develop relationships with my police department.
I want every one of our police officers
be able to look everyone in the eye and say,
"I'm here to protect you.
I'm not here to harm you. I'm here to protect you."
So that's the work we're doing with our police department
and I'm very confident we're going to reach
the right balance.
[ Applause ]
Okay. Everyone have a great -- what is today?
Tuesday? Wednesday?
See, all my days just blend together here.
Everyone have a great rest of the Wednesday
and thank all of you community.
Thank you very much.