Published at ClarkCountyToday.com Jan 20, 2026 https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/opinion/opinion-mcclearys-promise-and-washingtons-k-12-reality/ When the Washington Supreme Court decided McCleary v. State of Washington in 2012, it delivered a landmark ruling: the state had failed its “paramount duty” under Article IX of the Washington Constitution to make “ample provision for the education of all children.” The word “ample,” the Court emphasized, meant more than adequate. It meant full, sufficient, and dependable support for basic education, funded primarily by the State rather than by unstable local levies. The ruling was legally sound and morally compelling. Yet more than a … [Read more...]
Ridgefield resident Heidi Pozzo discusses the agreements between the city of Ridgefield and the Ridgefield School District to support civic life for area citizens
This article was published at Clark County Today. You can read the original article by clicking on the link to the left. Heidi Pozzo for Clark County Today Who pays for it? As part of the 2017 bond, Ridgefield School District began taking on a number of programs that support civic life. Important programs that every community should have. A place for people to meet. Community education. Sports. Youth programming. People love them. They build community and facilitate neighbors getting to know one another. Heidi Pozzo But these aspects of civic life are typically in the domain of cities. It is part of their core function and part of how they plan and design flourishing … [Read more...]
Hiding information from the public? Updated September 1st
Earlier this year we received an email from a concerned citizen alerting us to a survey the Battle Ground School District conducted of personnel. We were told that there is a lot of unrest among the employees of the district. We were urged to obtain a copy of the final report. So...we started the process. First, we contacted Administration and were told that there was a survey done but that the results are normally kept private and not shared with the public (even though public time and money is used to conduct and analyze it). We waited until after school was out and began our public request process. It drug out for over a month until we were told that the results were still in draft … [Read more...]
Battle Ground School Board: 2017-2021 Levy Proposal
On Monday evening, December 12, 2016, around 8:30pm, the Battle Ground School Board voted to send a new 4 year levy to the voters in February 2017. In this story we'll share data, facts, analysis and thoughts as well as provide copies of some handouts that were presented to the board. As to whether you decide to support the levy, as presented, that's of course your choice. From our view it's important that you have information...facts...so you can make an informed choice. How does the BGSD amount spent per student compare to other districts in Southwest Washington State? Evergreen; Vancouver and Battle Ground (the big 3) spend within $500 of each other per student Are the … [Read more...]