Washington Senate Passes School Levy Bill

OLYMPIA (AP) — The Senate has passed a measure delaying a deadline for a reduction in the amount of money school districts can collect through local property tax levies, something school superintendents have said they need as they ready their budgets.

After negotiations that involved the governor's office, the chamber passed the measure on a bipartisan 48-1 vote Wednesday night. It now heads to the House, which passed its own measure in January.

School districts face a reduction in the amount they can collect through local levies starting next year, but the measure passed by lawmakers pushes that deadline off until 2019. One of the issues the Legislature is dealing with this year is resolving the reliance on local levies to pay for teacher and school staff salaries.