This article comes from https://www.idahoednews.org/top-news/a-painful-reality-school-closures-follow-shrinking-enrollment-across-the-country/?brid=YWdncwE40l_v_VDBnKWzuqunWOFp BALTIMORE – School districts around the country are facing a painful reality as enrollments decline. For many districts, there are too many schools for the number of kids they’ll serve in a few years, according to Marguerite Roza, director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University. It’s not a matter of if schools will close but when, as lower birth rates have led to smaller incoming kindergarten classes. “We have this misalignment and it’s making it really painful for districts,” Roza … [Read more...]
Which school districts in wa state are under state oversight as of 2025?
As of early 2025, several Washington school districts are under state financial oversight due to budget challenges, with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) monitoring their financial health through binding conditions or enhanced oversight. Mount Baker School District is under binding conditions, with updates issued through October 20, 2025. The district faces financial distress due to declining enrollment, inflation, and reduced state and federal funding. Prescott School District is under enhanced financial oversight, with a Financial Oversight Committee active as of June 2025. The district has been under state scrutiny since at least March 2024 due to budget … [Read more...]
School boards should focus budget deliberations on student outcomes, financial sustainability
From the Brookings Institute Please get a thermos of coffee or tea. The article is long and detailed so you will need some time. As school districts enter one of their most challenging budget cycles in recent memory, all eyes should be on school boards. That’s because the nation’s roughly 13,000 local school boards are the ones who generally own the fiduciary responsibility for spending $700 billion in K-12 public education funds. They’re the ones who sign their names to decisions about what to prioritize when funds are tight, and ultimately where to cut and what to spare. Yet, findings from our research suggest most school board trustees are simply going through the motions when … [Read more...]
Ridgefield SD District 4 Donna Farnsworth
A list of 12 questions was sent to each candidate with the offer to publish their responses unedited. Ms. Farnsworth chose not to participate. [She is running unopposed and may assume her record speaks for itself?] Just in case you want to contact her and ask some questions her contact info is in the voters pamphlet reproduced below. If you learn anything please share with us. Editorial comment: This candidate provides virtually no information of any use. Nothing about what she has accomplished. No vision of the future. No information on stances on key issues. ______________________________________________________________ Q1: Given the poor student test scores, what are your proposals to … [Read more...]
Hockinson SD District 1 Stacie Prentice Mitchem vs Teresa VanNatta
Both candidates were sent a list of 12 questions and offered the opportunity to respond over a 30 day period. Neither of them felt it wasn’t important to respond. The only information available is their voter pamphlet statement. You see the list of questions we posed in case you want to reach out to the candidates yourself. If you get any information please share with us so we can add to the article. ______________________________________________________________________ Q1: Given the poor student test scores, what are your proposals to improve learning and outcomes? Q2: Given that an estimated 50% of the entire state budget goes to K-12 education, what are your thoughts about improving … [Read more...]
Evergreen SD District 5 Bernard vs Gronwoldt
Both candidates were sent a list of 12 questions and offered the opportunity to respond over a 30 day period. Only Louis Bernard responded. Ms. Gronwoldt is the incumbent and must have felt it wasn’t necessary to respond. Consider that Mr. Bernard took the time and effort to share his views. If you think it’s time to install some new blood in the Evergreen district please consider him. If you reach out to either candidate and get responses please share them with us so we can update the article. The Evergreen district has massive shortfalls in the budget. Strikes. Multiple superintendents and transparency issues. Consider if it’s time to replace the incumbent and hire someone with new fresh … [Read more...]
Opinion: Where do we go from here at Ridgefield School District?
This is the final article in a series by Heidi Pozzo looking into the Ridgefield School Bonds. She offers some thoughts on where to go whether the bonds pass or not. Heidi Pozzo believes the message should be clear: people are unhappy their perspective is not being heard and considered Heidi Pozzo for Clark County Today There seem to be two common themes that have emerged during the Ridgefield School District bond campaign and election. The first being a Rorschach test in what people see and the second being a feeling of “it’s too much.” Heidi Pozzo For some, it is plain as day that the plan developed many years ago is what the community wants and is the only path that makes … [Read more...]
Letter to the Editor: Ridgefield district may be asking for too much
This article was published in The Reflector Editor, Warning signs come in a variety of places, and there’s one at the state level that is flashing right now. Why are state matching funds so low compared with the size of the facilities being built at Ridgefield School District in the 2024 proposed bond? The 2017 bond anticipated $15.5 million in state-matching funds against $98.5 million in anticipated cost. Ultimately, $28.5 million was received: $18.8 million for the 5-8 school and $6.7 million for the high school. Those extra funds were spent in a variety of ways that brought the total spending to about $107.5 million, after reimbursement from the City for portions of the RACC … [Read more...]
Opinion: Double the money at Ridgefield School District
Today's article comes from Heidi Pozzo via Clark County Today. You can read the original article and comment by clicking this link: Opinion: Double the money at Ridgefield School District | ClarkCountyToday.com This is an ongoing series delving into the details of the Ridgefield School Districts 2024 capital bonds and decision making. Ridgefield resident Heidi Pozzo reports there has been a 334 percent increase in Ridgefield bond measure requests in the last 10 years Heidi Pozzo for Clark County Today Doubling your money used to have a good connotation. Maybe it was a savings account, or growing your business, or maybe your salary. But these days, double your money seems to … [Read more...]
Ridgefield School District April 2024 Bond – Prop 11 Pros and Cons
Following are statements from the Pro committee that will appear in the voters pamphlet. We have included more in depth details and information than allowed in the 75 word rebuttal. Why? Because there is far more to this than appears on the surface. Pro Statement Overcrowding is impacting every school in our district, with a 47% increase in student population since the last bond in 2017. The overcrowding in our intermediate and middle schools deprives students of crucial opportunities, like participating in sports due to limited team spaces. Gyms have been converted into makeshift classrooms, and students are forced to travel off-campus for classes, sacrificing precious learning … [Read more...]