Battle Ground schools propose restoring counselors, nurses and safety staff after levy loss; board gives input

Superintendent Denny Waters told the Battle Ground School District board on May 27 that staff recommend restoring a portion of the positions and services cut after voters rejected a local levy, but that the district can afford only a fraction of what was removed.

"We had to make $20,000,000 of cuts," Waters said, and the board’s restoration plan would bring back approximately 28% of those reductions. "We are bringing back things, but we are only bringing back approximately 28% of the cuts that were made or proposed, which means that 72% of the cuts that we proposed are still being cut."

Why it matters: administrators said the restorations aim to protect student safety and well-being while avoiding deeper financial deterioration. Staff said the district would use fund balance to cover about $6 million this year and $6 million next year — a total use of $12 million — but that the plan depends on passing a levy next year. Michelle Scott, the district chief financial officer, said the updated preliminary budget shows an ending fund balance of about $16.6 million and that the district’s financial health score would put it in a state “financial warning” with continued use of fund balance.

What the district proposed

Waters and CFO Michelle Scott outlined a two-year outlook and a prioritized package of restorations that would cost roughly $5.4 million to $5.5 million of the $6 million the district said it could restore this year. The list includes: school counselors districtwide; two school resource officers (SROs) — one at each comprehensive high school, funded in part by the county partnership; the majority of previously cut campus security positions (reduced but not eliminated); four LPNs and a nurse supervisor; five certificated staff to reduce class sizes where enrollment requires it; several assistant principal positions; one communications specialist (of two previously cut); and seven crossing guard locations focused on primary schools.

Waters said the recommendations were driven by the district’s stated priorities: student safety and well-being. He added the district will use restricted Title and LAP funds where allowable for specific items such as prevention/intervention specialists, special education coordinators, credit recovery and primary-level assessment tools.

Nursing, counselors and safety

Michelle Scott and district health staff said nursing coverage had been stretched after cuts. Scott said the district had 130 days this year with at least one building without a nurse and 75 days with two nurses absent. District nurses reported more than 42,000 health-room visits, more than 900 medication orders and over 700 emergency action plans during the school year. "There were 75 days with 2 nurses absent on a campus or in a building. And so again, that has huge safety concerns for our students," Waters said.

Kathy (district nurse) explained legal limitations on delegation of medical tasks: "There are drugs in the state of Washington that can only be given by licensure, specifically anything that requires an injection... only an RN or an LPN can do that injection."

Administrators also emphasized counselors’ preventative work. Waters cited more than 400 suicide‑ideation questionnaires this year and said counselors handle most crisis follow-up. "We just believe that that's absolutely critical in a time where student mental health... is really struggling," he said.

High-school operations and deans of students

Principals and deans asked the board to prioritize dean-of-students positions at the high schools. Heather Ichimura, principal at one of the district high schools, explained the dean role as a “hub” that triages disciplinary referrals, coordinates SEL supports, routes students to counselors or SROs and helps free administrators to focus on instruction. "Our deans of students are pivotal to our work," Ichimura said, noting that at her school one dean manages thousands of admin‑level referrals, suspensions and interventions each year.

Sports, Aspire and after‑school options

Staff presented options for the Aspire accelerated program and for athletics and activities. Lanell Murray, who works with Aspire, outlined several options that would preserve cohorts already in the program while reducing scope for incoming students; staff recommended the district fund fourth‑through‑eighth‑grade Aspire instruction but not district-provided transportation because the estimated cost for transportation was roughly $150,000. Murray said about 44–46 students are currently enrolled in Aspire.

Travis Drake, director of secondary instruction, said the district had roughly 945 middle‑school participants in middle‑school athletics last year and that restoring a full middle‑school sports program for all six middle schools would cost about $800,000 because the district would also need to restore a director of student services who coordinates officials, transportation and equipment. Staff proposed instead smaller, lower‑cost after‑school activities (about $93,000) and more community‑based or volunteer coaching partnerships as alternatives.

At the high school level staff said about 710 students at Battle Ground and about 890 at Prairie participated in athletics last year; roughly 150 participants at each school were C‑team level. The district estimated the full cost to restore C‑team sports across both high schools at about $49,000–$50,000 and suggested some lower‑participation sports (swim, gymnastics) could be served through co‑op agreements with other districts to reduce cost.

Budget math and risk

Scott said the district’s preliminary 2025–26 budget reduces planned cuts to $14 million from an initial $20 million, and that without a passed levy next year the district would have to make additional cuts of $20–25 million in a subsequent year. Scott said the forecast assumes using fund balance and the district would likely fall to an OSPI financial‑warning status; continued failure to pass levies could lead to financial oversight by the state auditor or OSPI.

"Our monthly payroll is $15,000,000," Waters said. He added that the district’s available unassigned fund balance would not cover a full month of payroll if revenue shortfalls continued.

Board input and next steps

Board members provided priorities and feedback rather than conducting a formal vote. Several directors said they wanted to protect counselors and student‑facing supports and to explore hybrid approaches for athletics that rely on community partnerships and volunteers where legally and contractually permissible. Director Jackie Maddox said she favored keeping middle‑school activities and C‑team sports while working with community partners; Director Itzel Contreras Montiel (student representative) advocated for Aspire (fourth‑through‑eighth grade option), C‑team sports and the dean of students.

Waters said staff will take the board’s input to finalize restoration decisions and then return recommendations tied to the budget process. He reminded the board that many restorations will depend on passing a levy next year; without that, additional cuts would be required.

Ending note

District leaders said they are trying to balance immediate safety and student‑support needs against long‑term fiscal sustainability. "We can make it by bringing back a percentage of these cuts... if we pass a levy next year," Waters said. "If we don't pass a levy next year, we will have to go back... and make another 20 to $25,000,000 worth of cuts."