Published at ClarkCountyToday.com Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and may not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com I recently attended the Battle Ground School District levy information session and heard one side of a debate. District Superintendent Shelly Whitten gave an overview of the levy proposal on the ballot, which calls for the collection of $116 million dollars over three years. T.J. Kelly, the chief financial officer from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the state, presented the state’s assessment of the district’s financial position if the levy is not approved. The … [Read more...]
Battle Ground School District Nov 2026 Levy Ballot
Should you vote Yes or No on the levy? There are two camps: (1) Those who believe that student education should be funded no matter what the cost and, (2) Those who say it's gotten too expensive and vote No. Should this be an emotional or logical/fact based decision? Emotional Position (Yes vote) “Our children shouldn't pay the price for an adult budget dispute.” Protecting the child who needs the most help. Safety is difficult to put a price on. Give teenagers something to belong to. Don't close doors before children discover what they're capable of. A community has an obligation to its next generation. But there is an important counter-emotional argument A … [Read more...]
Opinion: ‘It may be time for McCleary 2.0’
Dick Rylander provides an analysis of the Battle Ground School District’s November 2026 EP&O Levy Dick Rylander for Clark County Today This article is my analysis based on my research and interpretations. It contains a significant amount of detail and numbers. As such, if you need clarifications please reach out to someone whose opinion you trust and ask for their assistance. Every attempt has been made to be accurate and, in the case of projections or estimates, to incorporate information gleaned from conversations. If there are factual errors please notify me. On Thursday July 16, 2026 the BGSD Superintendent (Shelly Whitten) presented a levy proposal to the School Board … [Read more...]
Why vote no on the Battle Ground School District levy? Updated Jan 24, 2026
Update Jan 24, 2026 BGSD Student Headcount Question I see a number of 13,000+ students claimed in the district. However, when I look at your last report of October 2025 and even the one you will present on Jan 26th I don't see anything that is over 13,000. https://go.boarddocs.com/wa/bgps/Board.nsf/files/DQLMQ95C3BBD/$file/Enrollment%20Board%202025-26%20as%20of%20DEC%202025.pptx%20(1).pdf Is it number that combines several charts data? When I approach this as a normal person in the community I look at FTE and Headcount. I also use the last completed year since those are known. I also note that the highest numbers are in Dept/Oct with June as the lowest this years data is … [Read more...]
Washington State Feb 2026 K-12 data updates Jan 18, 2026
From our friend Jeff Heckathorn at www.schooldataproject.com If you want to see the "Reports" start here: Reports | The School Data Project Jeff is "the" data guru for K-12 in WA State. He gets all the OSPI data and then puts it into reports. If you are looking for just one source of data pick his site. How do you sue it? Choose the district you want and then dig in. For those who want specific information in Clark County here are the 3 on the Feb ballot Washougal School District | The School Data Project Hockinson School District | The School Data Project Battle Ground School District | The School Data Project The “Highlights” section describes how … [Read more...]
Why vote no on the Washougal levies?
This article was published at Clark County Today Jan 15, 2026. Clark County resident Dick Rylander offers his insight on the Washougal School District levy requests in the upcoming Feb. 10 special election Dick Rylander for Clark County Today Until a year ago anyone could write the pro/con on a school board levy or bond if no one in the district volunteered to write one of the positions. The Democrats in the Washington State Legislature decided it was better to have nothing written rather than let someone outside the district step up. It’s important to look at both sides of levies. So, if you were going to consider voting NO why might you do that? I offer the following … [Read more...]
Hockinson Feb 2026 Levy
Enhancement Levys and their burden
These examples are in Northern WA State but are relevant. Yelm Community Schools has more than 3x the seniors over age 65 poverty compared to Bethel's School District and 31% higher seniors over age 65 poverty compared to North Thurston. Yelm taxpayers have an elderly population that needs protection so they can stay in their homes. According to this data, Yelm Community Schools had 92,014 less population, 15,106 less FTE students, and 390 less FTE teachers than Bethel School District. According to this data, Yelm Community Schools had 79,119 less population, 9,089 less FTE students, and 255 less FTE teachers than North Thurston School District. Home … [Read more...]
BGSD April 2025 Levy “NO” Position
In February (2025) the Battle Ground School District ran a 4 year levy (EP&O). It failed by 60 votes to get 50% +1. The school board directors voted to put the exact same levy back in front of the voters in April (they can legally run a levy or bond 2x in a year). This article is intended to share reasons why someone might vote NO on the levy. It is of course up to each voter to look at the Pros and Cons and then make their own decision. Note: Update: According to the Clark County WA Elections Dept. the estimated cost to the Battle Ground School District for the February election was about $180,000. The April special ballot cost...are you ready? Comes in around $240,000. So the cost … [Read more...]
Opinion: Rising budgets, declining outcomes; Ridgefield’s educational paradox
This is Part 2 of a review of the Ridgefield School District published at Clark County Today on January 22nd Area resident Rob Anderson says Ridgefield School District’s ballooning budget has not led to better academic outcomes Rob Anderson for Clark County Today The first article took a closer look at Ridgefield School District’s two levy proposals: Proposition 12, an operational levy, and Proposition 13, labeled as a “Technology and Capital” levy. Proposition 12 requests a 41% increase in operational funding compared to 2022, amounting to $44 million annually. Proposition 13 seeks $21 million, primarily for capital projects, including a previously rejected proposal for a new … [Read more...]
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