Battle Ground board approves resolution to start layoffs after triple levy failure, staff and students urge caution

The Battle Ground Public Schools Board of Directors on [date not specified in the transcript] voted to enact Resolution C‑26, authorizing a reduced educational program and start of a reduction in force for the 2026‑27 school year after district staff said the district faces a roughly $20 million deficit following what officials described as a triple levy failure.

Superintendent Shelley and district human resources staff presented the plan and supporting documents in a meeting that drew multiple public commenters, student presenters and board discussion. Michelle Reinhart, executive director of human resources, summarized the proposed staffing reductions and said the district’s preliminary plan would affect roughly 137 positions this year and a two‑year total the district estimates at about 268.3 positions. “Because 85% of our budget is staffing, this is a big deal,” the superintendent said as staff described targeted reductions across central office, building‑based staff, classified district positions and programs.

Why it matters: The board moved the resolution as the first formal step required to prepare a balanced budget amid reduced local levy revenue and state funding limits. Administrators said they tried to prioritize student safety, basic academic instruction and services for vulnerable students while meeting legal and bargaining‑unit requirements.

Student and staff concerns: Students and staff appealed to the board to reconsider or temper cuts that they said would threaten safety and supports. "You will vote on a reduction in force that will see approximately 137 staff positions eliminated," said student Ry Dilley, who identified himself as a seventh‑grader and an organizer with youth groups, and warned that reductions to assistant principals, campus security, counselors and intervention specialists would harm student well‑being and safety. Vanessa Tolan, a social‑emotional‑learning paraeducator, described more than 3,000 student visits to her SEL room and said the cuts felt personal: “It’s heartbreaking,” she told the board, asking for greater transparency and collaboration on final decisions.

What staff proposed: District staff walked the board through Exhibit 1 attached to the resolution, outlining reductions and program changes administrators say are needed to balance the budget. Key examples cited by staff: - A reduction in building administrative assignments and potential increases in class sizes, particularly at middle and high schools. - Cuts or restructuring of student‑support roles: counselors, prevention/intervention specialists and some campus security positions, with the district retaining one prevention/interventionist districtwide. - Changes to library staffing, custodial and grounds positions, and technology support; reduced calendars for some classified staff (for example, some 12‑month to 11‑month changes). - Program adjustments including elimination of 1:1 Chromebooks at a middle school (moving devices into carts), elimination of summer school for grades K–8 (gen ed), conditional offerings for some extracurriculars, and increased participation fees for athletics. - Labor‑partner concessions already secured in part: two furlough days for employee groups and other agreed salary freezes or reduced days to help offset cuts.

Board discussion and legal limits: Board members pressed staff on compliance and the extent to which the district could preserve programs without violating state requirements or collective bargaining agreements. Lanelle (who read the resolution aloud) and the superintendent repeatedly noted that some decisions are compliance‑driven — for example, state allocations that fund highly capable services — and that certain program changes are intended to avoid noncompliance or additional financial penalties.

Public input and next steps: Dozens of residents, teachers and program leaders urged the board to prioritize safety and programs that serve vulnerable students. Staff emphasized the reduction list reflects a statutory notification step (staff must be alerted by a May 15 timeline) and that the final, adopted budget will not be approved until later in the summer. The superintendent said the resolution preserves board discretion to revisit staffing decisions should additional funding become available.

Votes at a glance: - Resolution C‑26 (reduced educational program / reduction in force): Motion moved by a board member and the chair declared the resolution enacted after vocal assent; the transcript records at least one abstention and the chair stated the resolution was enacted. (Transcript does not contain a full, named roll‑call tally.) - Donation from Community Foundation (Patty Haug/HALT endowment, approx. $95,000–$97,000): Approved as presented (motion passed; recorded approval). The district said those funds support greenhouses, paid internships and prairie restoration at Casey/KC campus and other CTE activities. - Glenwood‑Lauren Campus access easement (utility access to a wastewater pump station): Approved as presented (motion passed).

What happens next: Staff said the resolution enables the district to provide required legal notices and to continue budget development; final staffing decisions and program details will be refined over the summer as the district finalizes its operating budget and, if funding changes, the board retains discretion to restore positions. Administrators urged community members to contact the district with questions and to participate in upcoming listening sessions and work sessions planned through the calendar year.

The board adjourned the meeting at approximately 8:47 p.m.