Battle Ground outlines $20 million in potential cuts if replacement levy fails

Superintendent Denny Waters presented a draft package of potential budget reductions the district would adopt if the replacement educational operations levy fails on April 22, saying, “The total for those cuts has to reach 20,000,000.”

Waters told the Battle Ground School Board on March 24 that district staff grouped proposed reductions into four categories — safety, instruction and instructional support, enrichment, and operations — and that the draft would be posted publicly the next day. “If the replacement educational operations levy improved in April, the district would not need to make any of these cuts. There would be no cuts,” Waters said.

The list, compiled to identify $20 million in possible reductions for the 2025–26 school year, includes specific personnel and program eliminations and service reductions. In the safety category the draft lists the elimination of all crossing guards (more than 40 positions), elimination of school resource officers and middle school security guards, reductions to high-school security, a cut of eight school counselors (six at primary campuses and two at the high school level), elimination of the drug and alcohol prevention/intervention program (eight positions) and elimination of two contracted full-time mental-health therapists currently provided through the ESD.

Instructional reductions in the draft include raising the minimum enrollment needed to run some advanced-placement courses (Waters noted the district currently requires roughly 18 students for an AP offering and that number could be raised to 25 if levy funding is not available), elimination of all teacher-librarians, elimination of instructional coaches, elimination of special-education coordinators, elimination of the deputy-superintendent position and the director of student services, a reduction of roughly 25 teaching positions across K–12 (described in the document as increases to average class sizes), and elimination of the Aspire magnet program — which Waters said costs the district about $700,000 annually and is unique in Southwest Washington.

The enrichment and operations categories include proposals to eliminate all middle-school extracurricular activities and middle-school sports, eliminate high-school C-team sports and reduce athletic transportation and participation subsidies; reduce bus routes and custodial and maintenance staffing; and cut building budgets by about 25 percent.

Board members and staff repeatedly underscored the human impact of the proposed reductions. “If you add those four things up it’s a total of $20,000,000,” Waters said, then noted the heavy personnel content of the budget: “Staff make up approximately 80% of the budget, position cuts are required to balance the budget.” Director Jackie Maddox and others raised ripple effects: cutting free school supplies while also reducing family resource center staff, for example, “just snowballs,” Maddox said.

Timeline and next steps Waters said the district will publish the draft reductions online and allow the community to ask questions. He told the board the cuts would be presented formally to the board in late April if the levy fails, and that staff may adjust the final proposal to reflect any changes in state funding or enrollment and to consider use of fund balance. Several administrators warned the schedule is compressed if the levy fails: certificated employees and administrators would need contract notifications by May 15 under district timelines, and reduction-in-force resolutions and selections would have to be prepared quickly to meet statutory and contractual deadlines.

Public comment at the meeting included multiple speakers urging passage of the levy, saying reductions would harm students and local employment. Kim Betker, president of the Battle Ground Education Association, said the levy supports programs and the district’s growth, and urged voters to “vote yes on the levy April 22.” Several other parents, staff and community members spoke in favor of the levy during citizens’ comments; one attendee argued against the levy citing property tax concerns.

What the document says and does not say Waters and Michelle Scott, the district’s finance director, described the draft as a menu of potential reductions created to reach the $20 million target and stressed some items are legally required or connected to state and federal mandates. “Because staff make up approximately 80% of the budget, position cuts are required to balance the budget,” Waters said. He also said that some items are add-ons — e.g., coaching stipends — and cutting them may not mean an employee loses all district employment, but could trigger displacement under seniority rules.

The board did not vote on the draft reductions at the March 24 meeting. Routine board business that evening did include votes to excuse two directors who reported prearranged absences and to approve the meeting agenda and consent agenda (all passed 3–0). The levy vote itself is scheduled for April 22; Waters said the district will post the full cuts document on the levy information site and invite community questions.

Why it matters The district says the levy funds local priorities not fully covered by the state, including safety and instructional supports it calls necessary to maintain current services. Board members and district officials framed the exercise as an urgent planning step so the community understands the consequences if local funding is not renewed.

Smaller details and context Waters said the district would eliminate the kindergarten jump-start program and stop paying for primary-school supplies; cut technology and curriculum purchases; and suspend new curriculum and assessment purchases. He also noted that the Aspire program change would convert it from a magnet to a cluster if funding is not available. Officials repeatedly asked board members to consider priorities to return should any funds or fund-balance decisions allow partial restoration of services.

Votes at the meeting - Motion to excuse Director Debbie Johnson and Director Ted Champlain: outcome passed, tally recorded as 3 yes, 0 no (mover/second not specified in the record). - Motion to approve the agenda as presented: outcome passed, tally recorded as 3 yes, 0 no (mover/second not specified in the record). - Motion to approve the consent agenda (minutes, student travel, personnel, business and operations items): outcome passed, tally recorded as 3 yes, 0 no (mover/second not specified in the record).

The district plans to make the draft cuts document public and to hold further conversations with the board and the community prior to any final board action in late April if the levy fails.