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...]
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...]
Washougal SD District 3 Sadie McKenzie
A list of 12 questions was sent to each candidate with the offer to publish their responses unedited. Ms. McKenzie chose not to participate. [She is running unopposed] 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. ______________________________________________________________ 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 efficiencies in local spending? Q3: What’s your position on Parental … [Read more...]
BGSD District 5 Marrott vs Adelson-Journey
Note: As of 1:30pm on Oct 31st this non-race is getting more "views" than any of the other 20 local races. No idea why. Neither candidate responded to outreach efforts Apparently Solina Adelson-Journey withdrew from the election even though her name will appear on the ballot. Candidates were sent a list of 12 questions with an offer to publish their responses. We received no response. Here are the questions in case you want to contact Marshall. When someone chooses not to respond the question is why? Running unopposed provides no benefit to answer. Update: The Democrat Party has posted their endorsement of Mr. Marrott. Perhaps vote for Ms. Adelson-Journey because the … [Read more...]
Vancouver School District – Jr Pride Club email – Feb 10 2023: Update 4:06pm
Update: Just before 4pm the VPS Superintendent, Jeff Snell, responded to the questions posed to him and the principal of Felida Elementary. You determine whether the answers he provides satisfy you: Jeff Snell 3:46 PM (19 minutes ago) to Kris.Janati, me Thank you for reaching out about your concerns. As stated in the email distribution, Vancouver Public Schools does not sponsor or endorse the advertised programs or events. Flyer distribution is a community service available to 501(c)3 and civic organizations. We have policies that guide the process and can be viewed at … [Read more...]
Reading on a smartphone promotes over activity in the prefrontal cortex and lowers reading comprehension
Today we bring you a new article on the impact of "screen time" on learning. As you will note from some of our previous articles the more time children spend on e-devices (phone, tablet, computer) the less they learn and retain. The report comes to use from PsyPost written by Beth Elwood and titled: Reading on a smartphone promotes over activity in the prefrontal cortex and lowers reading comprehension. The original article can be read at: https://www.psypost.org/2022/04/reading-on-a-smartphone-promotes-overactivity-in-the-prefrontal-cortex-and-lowers-reading-comprehension-study-finds-62848?fbclid=IwAR0yJl0lXkWhsrbdkfUY-M5c5fQL1wkk6cKiDQkxKII09W22bUbMw6zI6EM Here's the article in its … [Read more...]
Woodland School District Board of Directors Candidates 2021
In November 2021 there are two (2) school board director positions open in the Woodland School District. Position 4 and Position 5. Today we bring you information on the candidates for those races that may be helpful as you decide who to vote for. Since there are only two (2) candidates for each position both will automatically move forward to the November general election. In each race one is the incumbent and the other the challenger. We sent a list of ten (10) questions to each candidate with a return due date specified. Some candidates responded while others didn’t. If we received a response that document is provided below. If you wonder what we asked click this link to open a PDF … [Read more...]
What can parents expect for the Fall 2021/22 Washington State K-12 school year rules? – Update June 26th from the WA DoH
What can you expect for the beginning of the Fall 2021/22 public school requirements regarding vaccination; masks; in person learning and other topics of interest if you have a student in the K-12 public school system in Washington State? We would love to hear your thoughts after doing your own investigation and research and arriving at a position. We reached out to: Governors Office OSPI (Officer of Superintendent of Public Schools) WA Department of Health We received responses from each. You be the judge as to whether they actually answered the questions or not. This information may be helpful as you determine whether to use public schools or not for the 2021/22 school … [Read more...]
Washington State Superintendent of Schools – 2020 Candidate positions
Several months ago we reached out to various groups around the State of Washington and asked them for a list of topics/questions they would like posed to the State Superintendent of Schools candidates for 2020. As you know this November sees the re-election bid of the current superintendent, Chris Reykdal. Its been a tumultuous 4 years. We compiled a list of questions for the candidates and emailed them. We gave everyone until midnight June 29th to respond. Almost all did...Chris Reykdal chose NOT to respond. This blog article comprises the responses from everyone else. We'll do a series of articles. This first one is the PDF of each responding candidates answers to the questions. Feel … [Read more...]
Southwest Washington Candidates and K-12 Education
In May and again during the Summer of 2018 we emailed each of the candidates for the 3rd Congressional; 17th; 18th and 49th and asked them to respond to some basic questions regarding K-12 education: What is/are your position(s) on the following K-12 education topics: Washington State Education Financing – Is it sufficient or not and what (if anything) would you change or do if elected? What is your position on Common Core and the required testing (SBAc)? What (if any) role does the US Dept of Education have in K-12 education and should it continue to exist? What are the top three (3) actions/steps you would take regarding K-12 education? Who responded? 3rd … [Read more...]