This article was published at The Washington Policy Center on Oct 6, 2026: https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/is-mccleary-really-to-blame-for-washingtons-budget-woes During a recent debate on repealing the state income tax, opponents of I-645 claimed that the state budget's rapid expansion is driven by the Supreme Court’s McCleary decision. K–12 funding has grown rapidly since that decision, but since 2019, spending on everything else has expanded nearly three times as fast, accounting for nearly three-quarters of total state budget growth. The Supreme Court formally ended its oversight of the McCleary decision in June 2018. McCleary enforced the state’s … [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...]
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...]
The multi-million dollar cash grab in Washington schools
From an article published at ClarkCountyToday.com Yacolt resident Mark Rose says here in Clark County, the disconnect between the district office and the classroom has officially hit a breaking point 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 You know that sinking feeling when you open your property tax bill? That specific mix of dread and frustration? Keep that feeling in mind the next time a local school district tells you they’re broke. Here in Clark County, the disconnect between the district office and the classroom has officially hit a breaking point. We’re … [Read more...]
Letter: ‘VPS has no operational reserves and no credible plans to raise them’
Date: Monday, October 20, 2025. Published at ClarkCountyToday.com Please take a moment to read this article. It points out the precarious situation in the Vancouver School District and its path to financial stress...all because the School Board Directors won't take the necessary actions. Area resident Larry Roe says the Vancouver School District’s financial woes are due to ‘continuously spending more than our elected state representatives allocate for public education’ 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 Our Vancouver Public School Board meeting (10/14/25, … [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...]
‘Ridgefield residents deserve better stewardship of their tax dollars’
Ridgefield's Levy Proposals: A Closer Look at Prop 12 and Prop 13 Ridgefield School District is asking voters to approve two levy proposals: Proposition 12, an operational levy, and Proposition 13, labeled as a "Technology and Capital" levy. While these measures are marketed as essential for maintaining and enhancing educational quality, a deeper analysis reveals significant concerns about fiscal responsibility, transparency, and respect for voter intent. Understanding School Levies and Their Impact School levies are often presented using two metrics: the total revenue amount and the cost per $1,000 of assessed property value. While the cost-per-$1,000 figure helps property owners … [Read more...]
Education choice receives majority support in BSU Idaho Public Policy Survey
For those of you watching the national movement to school choice (money follows the child so parents have a choice where K-12 education occurs) you may want to review this article from the Mountain States Policy Org. The information is for our next door neighbor...Idaho. A new poll by Boise State University shows public support for increasing education choice options in Idaho. These results are similar to a 2022 poll conducted by MSPC. Here is the question BSU asked: The wording of this question is interesting. The current refundable tax credit proposal under consideration in Idaho does not remove funding from the K-12 budget. Idaho State Representative Wendy … [Read more...]
Battle Ground School District – November 2021 Levy: Fact Check
Well it seems that the social media services have been forcing a "fact check" on topics they deem worthy of attention. So, we thought we would take the same approach to the Battle Ground Levy. We'll link to the levy brochure the district created. Then we'll work our way through their claims and share our "fact checker" results. Most things are not black and white so we'll also explore the shades of gray. Here's a link to the brochure: https://www.battlegroundps.org/levy/ Before we get into the details please remember one thing. The last levy used a completely different system vs. the current levy. The old rate in the last levy was around $3.66/$1000. When the state raised property … [Read more...]
Battle Ground School Levy increase $1/$1000 – and no public notice and hidden vote by school board
On Monday August 12, 2019 the Battle Ground School Board held a regularly scheduled meeting. As part of that meeting they reviewed the proposed 2019/20 budget. They allowed public questions. The Board of Directors adopted the budget as presented. What they didn't tell people is that the approval of the budget included an increase in the Levy from $1.50/$1000 of assessed value to $2.50/$1000 effective January 1, 2020. There was no notice of intent to increase the levy. There was no vote to approve the increase. It was all part of the budget approval. This was the only budget meeting. In past years they held 2 public sessions. Normally at Laurin and Yacolt or Amboy to take questions and hear … [Read more...]