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| | |  | Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announced a plan for the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise levy on Tuesday. (Steph Chambers/ Getty Images) |
| Wilson Expands Childcare, Free Meals, and Mental Health Services for Students | This week, Mayor Katie Wilson announced a slate of investments in child care, free school meals, student access to physical and mental healthcare, and post-graduation employment pathways. These investments will be paid for through the six-year, $1.3 billion education levy Seattle voters passed in November. The City Council is expected to vote on the plan in June. [KING 5] | - 🍴 Free meals and mental healthcare in schools: Under this new plan, all Seattle Public Schools would offer free breakfast and lunch to every student in the fall. Currently, about half of the district’s 106 schools offer free meals. The proposal would also make mental healthcare available at no cost to teens and young adults, along with new school-based health centers providing students free medical and dental health services.
- 🏫 Childcare expansion: Wilson’s plan would expand Seattle’s Preschool Program hours to fill a 10-hour day and offer care year-round. All 3- and 4-year-olds in Seattle are eligible for the program, which has a sliding-scale tuition determined by income and family size. In the 2025-26 school year, 70% of children received free tuition. The city’s website says there are more than 100 preschool sites.
- 🚨 Shooting overshadows announcement: Mayor Wilson’s announcement took place at Yesler Community Center on Tuesday night, but she was rushed away from the press conference after attendees heard nearby gunfire. No injuries were reported. Wilson called the shooting a “stark reminder” of gun violence. [Seattle Times]
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| | | Seattle Restaurant Week returns April 19 - May 2. For two weeks, explore our diverse and innovative local food scene with curated menus at $20, $35, $50, and $65 at 270+ restaurants, bars, cafes, and pop-ups across greater Seattle. Head to srweek.org to see a list and interactive map of participating locations. | Celebrate good food From Everywhere, For Everyone. |
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| What Seattle’s Talking About |
| 🏞️ Cal Anderson field closing for upgrades: Seattle Parks and Recreation is planning for major construction that will shut down the playfield in the summer of 2027, so the old turf can be pulled up and the new turf can be laid down. If you’re curious about the specifications for city-funded turf, CHS Blog has the details, including addressing solar heat, health concerns, and “natural feel.” [CHS Blog] | | 🚓 Should cops pay taxes? U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez says no. She proposed exempting police officers from federal income taxes on their first $100,000. She posted this idea after doing a ride-along with the Clark County sheriff’s office. In his latest column, Seattle Times writer Danny Westneat notes that there are already 70 occupations specified for special tax treatment. [Seattle Times] | |  | Seattle police defending the Amazon Spheres during Seattle's 20th May Day demonstration in 2019. (Genna Martin / Getty Images) |
| 🏢 Black women shouldered brunt of layoffs: This disparity particularly impacted the public sector.So,the Washington State Women’s Commission and Blacks United in Leadership & Diversity surveyed 410 Black women in the state’s public sector. The majority of respondents experienced barriers affecting well-being, career advancement, and decisions about whether to remain in the field. And 75% said that their treatment in the workplace impacted their mental health. [Seattle Medium] |
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