SK nonprofit continues to advocate for school funding
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, April 14, 2026
The South Kitsap School Supporters is a nonprofit organization that partners with the South Kitsap School District to understand the needs of the community and focuses on efforts to pass local voter-approved funding measures to support schools.
The organization began as “Yes4SK” over 20 years ago, and over the years has changed leadership to consist of a combination of people who have been with SKSS for over a decade, since their own children were in elementary school and have now graduated high school and college, alongside parents of children who are yet to even enter elementary school.
SK School Supporters noted that they have consistently mobilized over 50% of the voting community to support major school construction and capital improvements since 2016. They have also championed multiple Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) levies, which fund 15% of the district’s annual budget. Voters renewed SKSD’s four-year, $133 million EP&O levy in 2025, which maintains funding for educational programs.
The last school bond passed by SKSD occurred in 1988, funding the purchase of property, renovations, and construction of Sidney Glen Elementary, Hidden Creek Elementary, and Mullenix Ridge Elementary. The buildings are now 30 years old, and this is one of SK School Supporters’ largest concerns.
SKSS president Kathalina Hanrahan shared that school districts are not allowed to campaign for or openly support the ballot measures that provide these needed funds. “South Kitsap School Supporters (SKSS) fills that gap. Our organization takes the information provided by the district and uses it to unite our local community in support of the local funding our schools need,” she said.
SKSS partners with SKSD, attending Board of Directors meetings, the Circle of Champions meetings, and Facilities and Finance committee meetings. “Part of communicating accurate information to voters is maintaining close connections to the district,” she said. “We want to ensure we are working together to accomplish our common goal of passing bonds and levies for local school funding.”
In 2026, Hanrahan shared that SKSS will be leading the campaign for a Capital Projects levy that the district is looking to put on the ballot this November. The group plans to raise $30,000 from community members and local businesses to fund the campaign, Hanrahan shared.
Bonds and levies expire every few years, requiring voters to renew them. Hanrahan shared the common misconception that once funds are approved, the work is done. Working with SKSS has exposed other misconceptions to Hanrahan, such that South Kitsap does not support education. “South Kitsap consistently passes levies. While the most recent nine bonds have not received the required 60% approval to pass, they do receive over 50% voter approval,” she shared. “It’s a huge surprise to many I talk to, South Kitsap does have a consistent majority voting in favor of school funding. The bond failures make the headlines, but the quiet fact is that most South Kitsap voters say yes to bonds.”
