[00:00:03]
WELL GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. SO WE'RE GOING TO CALL OUR MEETING TO ORDER THIS EVENING.
[1. Call to Order]
WE'RE HAVING A SPECIAL WORK SESSION. THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING IS A GENERAL BRIEFING FOR THE NEW BOARD REGARDING THE FINANCIAL STATUS OF THE DISTRICT.AND WE'LL CALL IT THE ORDER AT 6:06 A.M. P.M., NOT 6 A.M..
AND PLEASE EXCUSE US, BUT WE REALLY WANTED THE BOARD JUST SEEMED TO HAVE A CONSENSUS THAT WE WANTED TO GET TO WORK, YOU KNOW, AND AND SO HERE WE ARE A FEW DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS EVE.
WE'RE GOING TO SING A CHRISTMAS CAROL NOW. NO, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO DO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
AND THEN WE'LL DO A THEN WE'LL GO CHRISTMAS CAROLING AT THE END. OKAY.
[3. Special Meeting]
TOGETHER A REALLY SPECIAL PRESENTATION. SO WITHOUT ANY FURTHER ADO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THIS THIS FINANCIAL STATUS OF THE DISTRICT PRESENTED TO US BY DIRECTOR WHITTEN A DIRECTOR WHITTEN DIRECTOR SUPERINTENDENT GIVING YOU A PROMOTION.IS THAT A PROMOTION? IS THAT A DEMOTION? I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S A MOTION.
ALL RIGHT, I'M GOOD. SO YOU CAN SEE HERE, OBVIOUSLY, THAT THIS IS THE EXPIRED REPLACEMENT OF AN EXPIRED LEVY THAT WE WILL NOT HAVE IN 2026 THAT WE ARE ARE ASKING OUR VOTERS TO SUPPORT ON FEBRUARY 10TH.
SO WE REALLY HAVE 3 AREAS THAT SCHOOL FUNDING COMES FROM.
THE LARGEST PORTION COMES FROM THE STATE LOCAL DOLLARS.
WHEN WE HAVE LEVIES, CAPITAL LEVIES, BONDS, ANY OF THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, THOSE ARE CONSIDERED LOCAL AND THEN FEDERAL, FEDERAL DOLLARS, TYPICALLY DURING A TYPICAL YEAR, IF WE DO HAVE A LEVY WE HAVE ABOUT 13% OF OUR BUDGET THAT COMES FROM LOCAL.
OBVIOUSLY, AS WE GO INTO 2026, THE ONLY PART THAT WE HAVE IS THE CAPITAL LEVY, WHICH IS THAT $0.45 PER 1000 OF ASSESSED VALUE. SO IT'S SHRINKING. THE PERCENTAGE IS SHRINKING DOWN.
SIGNIFICANTLY, THE FEDERAL AMOUNT IS USUALLY SITTING RIGHT AROUND 6% AND CAN FLUCTUATE A LITTLE BIT BASED ON WHAT GRANTS WE HAVE AND HOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS IS ALLOCATING FUNDS.
BUT THE LARGEST AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT COMES TO US IS THROUGH THE STATE EITHER THROUGH THE PROTOTYPICAL SCHOOL MALL MODEL OR ENROLLMENT APPORTIONMENT. WE THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S CONFUSION THAT HAPPENS OFTENTIMES, PARTICULARLY IN A COMMUNITY LIKE OURS, WHERE THEY SEE THINGS HAPPENING IN OUR DISTRICT.
AS WE KNOW, WE HAVE MULTIPLE FUNDING SOURCES THAT CAN COME IN FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS, BUT THOSE DOLLARS ARE VERY SEPARATE FROM LEVY DOLLARS, UNLESS IT'S LIKE A CAPITAL LEVY SPECIFICALLY.
IN OUR DISTRICT, WE DON'T TYPICALLY HAVE MORE THAN 1 BOND AT A TIME.
AND BECAUSE THE DATA WAS PRETTY CLEAR THAT OUR COMMUNITY WAS MORE INTERESTED IN UPGRADING SOME OF OUR CURRENT FACILITIES THAN NEW FACILITIES OR TEARING DOWN OLD FACILITIES AND REBUILDING, WE DECIDED IT WAS BEST TO GO OUT FOR A CAPITAL LEVY, WHICH HAS ALLOWED US SOME ROOF REPAIRS, SOME HVAC, AS WELL AS INCREASING 3 OF OUR CTE PROGRAMS THAT ARE OF HIGH NEED FOR US. OUR CONSTRUCTION TRADES PROGRAM WE'RE STARTING A FACILITY THAT WILL START CONSTRUCTION IN THE SPRING OF 2026.
WE HAVE THE CULINARY ARTS PROGRAM WILL START AFTER THAT.
AND THEN FINALLY THE HEALTH SCIENCES. AND PART OF THE REASON THAT THOSE ARE TRICKLING IN IS 1, THE CAPACITY OF THE STAFF THAT WE HAVE. BUT 2 WE WILL BE MOVING PEOPLE OUT OF AREAS ONCE WE BUILD THE CONSTRUCTION TRADES,
[00:05:02]
WILL BE MOVING PROGRAMS TO OTHER AREAS OF THE BUILDING SO THAT WE CAN DO THE CONSTRUCTION AND NOT INTERRUPT THOSE PROGRAMS COMPLETELY.SO THAT CAPITAL LEVY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 2027.
WELL, WE'LL CONTINUE COLLECTING THROUGH 2027.
WE'LL PROBABLY NOT COMPLETE THOSE PROJECTS UNTIL 2028.
AND WE'VE NEVER HAD A CAPITAL LEVY BEFORE, BUT IT HAS HELPED US KEEP PACE WITH ENROLLMENT FOR OUR DISTRICT SINCE KEVIN JOLMA AND JOSH JOINER JOINED OUR TEAMS MANY YEARS AGO. WE'VE ADDED 120 CLASSROOMS WITH WITH IMPACT FEES, AND THOSE ARE PAID BY DEVELOPERS AND INCOMING CONSTRUCTION, WHETHER THOSE BE APARTMENT COMPLEXES OR RESIDENTIAL HOMES.
BUT IT'S NEW CONSTRUCTION THAT MOVES INTO THE BATTLE GROUND SCHOOL DISTRICT AREA, AND THEY PAY FEES, AND THOSE FEES GO TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES, BUT SCHOOLS ARE ONE OF THEM.
SO CAM ACADEMY, FOR INSTANCE, WAS PAID ENTIRELY BY IMPACT FEES.
OUR OPERATION BUILDING THAT WE OPENED IN THE FALL OF THIS YEAR, THAT WAS PAID BY IMPACT FEES.
AND THOSE THINGS ARE PRETTY IMPORTANT FOR US PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF, SAY, THE OPERATION BUILDING.
WE HAD PURCHASED A LOT OF EQUIPMENT AND THINGS THAT WE ENDED UP HAVING TO SELL OFF, AND IT WAS GOOD FURNITURE AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT WE HAD TO GET RID OF IT BECAUSE WE HAD NO PLACE TO STORE IT.
AGAIN, WE CAN PURCHASE PURCHASE SUPPLIES THAT WE NEED WHEN IT'S A LOWER PRICE AND SAVE IT.
THINGS LIKE PAPER AND THINGS LIKE THAT. THERE ARE CERTAIN TIMES OF THE YEAR THAT THOSE THINGS TEND TO COST LESS, AND WE CAN STOCK UP ON THOSE DURING THOSE TIMES.
SO THAT'S A BENEFIT OF OUR OPERATION BUILDING.
IT WAS THE 1935 BUILDING THAT WILL SOON BE TORN DOWN ON MAIN STREET, WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR SOME IMPROVEMENTS FOR OUR COMMUNITY, BECAUSE THAT WILL ALLOW US TO REDO THAT PARKING LOT AND DO A RIGHT OUT ONLY FOR THAT ENTRANCE EXIT THAT'S THERE BY BURGERVILLE WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE THAT A RIGHT OUT ONLY AND REDIRECT TRAFFIC OVER TO THE LIGHT, WHICH SHOULD HELP OUR COMMUNITY BE ABLE TO MOVE MORE FREELY ON MAIN STREET.
SO A LOT OF GOOD THINGS HAPPEN THROUGH THE USE OF IMPACT FEES.
AND SO THOSE ARE IMPORTANT DOLLARS FOR US. QUESTIONS? CAN I MAKE A COMMENT? SURE. SO BEFORE OUR SCHOOL BOARD RETREAT AT WSSDA SOME OF US WERE WAITING, AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET A TOUR OF THAT OPERATIONS BUILDING.
IT WAS AMAZING. I HAD NO IDEA. I KNOW THAT SOME OF THE PUBLIC HAVE HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY DID THEY BUILD THIS AMAZING BUILDING, WHY ARE THEY SPENDING MONEY? AND OF COURSE, IT'S THROUGH THE IMPACT FEES.
BUT IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS LIKE THAT AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER KEVIN JOLMA OR SOMEONE AT OPERATIONS WOULD TAKE THEM THROUGH AND I DID CHECK WITH HIM BEFORE I PUT THIS OUT THERE, BUT BUT IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS LIKE THAT, ASK PEOPLE WILL WILL SHOW YOU AND THE BENEFITS OF IT.
IT WAS AMAZING. SO YEAH, IT WAS REALLY GOOD. IT'S GREAT.
THIS IS A REPLACEMENT OF A PREVIOUS LEVY THAT'S EXPIRING ON THE 31ST OF THIS MONTH.
AND SO WE WILL BE WITHOUT A LEVY IN 2026, 97% OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN WASHINGTON HAVE A LEVY AN A EP&O LEVY SPECIFICALLY. AND AS OF THE 1ST OF THE YEAR, WE WILL BE THE ONLY SCHOOL DISTRICT IN SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON WITHOUT ONE.
SO THAT'S PRETTY SIGNIFICANT. OF THOSE DISTRICTS.
THOSE 97 DISTRICTS ARE THE THREE THAT 3% OF DISTRICTS THAT DON'T TYPICALLY HAVE THEM.
THOSE ARE USUALLY SCHOOLS THAT GET OTHER FUNDING SOURCES.
[00:10:01]
SO IT'S TYPICALLY A SMALL SIZED DISTRICT OR THOSE OTHER CONDITIONS THAT ALLOW THEM TO LIVE WITHOUT THEM.AND THAT'S, THAT'S 97% OF 295 DISTRICTS. SO I ALSO HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU.
SHOOT. SO WITH THE TIMBER MONEY, IS IT TRUE THAT WE NEED TO HAVE THE LEVY APPROVED AND ABLE TO RECEIVE THAT TIMBER MONEY? THAT IS ABSOLUTELY ACCURATE. SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS WE'RE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR WHEN WE DON'T HAVE A LEVY.
WE'RE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR TIMBER MONEY. AND WE'RE ALSO NOT ELIGIBLE FOR LEA.
SO THOSE DOLLARS ARE DEPENDENT UPON WHAT IS YOUR VALUE HOME VALUE IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
IT'S QUESTIONABLE WHETHER WE WOULD RECEIVE THOSE OR NOT.
SO FOR THE FOLKS THAT ARE LISTENING, CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT WHAT THE LEA. YEAH, YEAH.
I DIDN'T MEAN TO. ON THE SPOT. NO, THAT'S ALL RIGHT.
NO, THAT'S ALL RIGHT. I ACTUALLY DID A LITTLE HOMEWORK SO I COULD SAY IT CORRECTLY.
IF I JUST GET MY HANDS ON THE RIGHT SHEET THAT I NEED.
BUT ESSENTIALLY WHAT THE STATE DOES IS THEY GO THROUGH AND THEY FIGURE OUT WHAT YOUR ASSESSED VALUES OF YOUR HOMES ARE IN A SCHOOL DISTRICT DISTRICT. AND THAT'S WHAT DRIVES THAT FUNDING.
AND I WILL TELL YOU, I HAVE TOO MANY PIECES OF PAPER.
IT IS OUR ASSESSED VALUE. IT HAS BEEN. WELL, IT'S IN ONE OF OUR SLIDES COMING UP, BUT OUR ASSESSED VALUE HAS BEEN SINCE 2022. I BELIEVE IT IS. WE HAVE NOT BEEN ELIGIBLE BECAUSE OUR ASSESSED VALUE ON HOMES HAVE GONE UP TOO MUCH.
SO AGAIN, WE FLATLINED THIS LAST YEAR IN HOME VALUES, BUT IT'S JUST A MATTER OF WHETHER THE STATE CAUGHT UP. YOU KNOW, I'M NOT FINDING IT. OH, HERE IT IS.
SO TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING, LEA, FUNDING IS A STATE MATCHING MONEY PROGRAM PROVIDED TO DISTRICTS THAT HAVE PASSED BOTH THE LOCAL EP&O LEVY AND HAVE BELOW AVERAGE ASSESSED PROPERTY VALUATION.
THIS HELPS CREATE MORE EQUITY IN LOCAL FUNDING BETWEEN PROPERTY POOR AND PROPERTY RICH DISTRICTS.
I WOULDN'T CALL US PROPERTY RICH, BUT PROPERTY POOR, I.
WHAT'S UNIQUE ABOUT BATTLE GROUND? I'M GLAD THAT YOU ASKED THIS QUESTION, CHRIS, IS I WOULD SAY THAT THERE ARE PLACES IN OUR DISTRICT WHERE PEOPLE FEEL THE EFFECTS OF PROPERTY POOR, AND THERE ARE PLACES WHERE WHERE PROPERTY RICH.
MANY OF OUR MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS LIVE WITHIN THE VANCOUVER CITY LIMITS.
SO HOW THEY'RE TAXED IS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT.
BUT ALL THOSE THINGS DO MAKE UP OUR TAX PICTURE OF THE DISTRICT AS A WHOLE.
AND SO WHEN YOU HAVE AN AREA THAT'S ASSESSED WELL, AND THEN YOU HAVE A AN AREA THAT'S ASSESSED MORE MODERATELY OR POOR, THOSE THINGS ARE ALL PUT IN THE SAME BATCH AND AND MIXED TOGETHER TO GET THE AVERAGE.
IS THAT RIGHT? IS THAT TRUE? YES. SO WHAT'S TRUE IS THAT THOSE ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE STATE HAS MADE IS TO TRY AND CREATE EQUITY AMONG SCHOOL DISTRICTS. BATTLE GROUND IS EXTREMELY UNIQUE TO MOST OF THE DISTRICTS AROUND US BECAUSE IT DOES SPAN MULTIPLE MUNICIPALITIES.
AND SO THAT MAKES THE TAXATION MUCH MORE COMPLEX IN A DISTRICT THAT'S 274MI².
SO YEAH. YEAH. OKAY. GREAT QUESTION. THANK YOU.
YEAH. SO OBVIOUSLY ALL DISTRICT, ALL REGISTERED VOTERS WITHIN THE DISTRICT ARE ELIGIBLE TO CAST A BALLOT AND THERE ARE TAX EXEMPTIONS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS OR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. SO THOSE ARE SOME BASIC FACTS ABOUT EP&O LEVIES.
WE GET LOTS OF QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT LEVIES PAY FOR.
AND YOU CAN SEE HERE KIND OF A BREAKDOWN OF THE AREAS THAT THEY PAY FOR.
[00:15:05]
AND DIRECTLY BEHIND THAT WAS SMALLER CLASS SIZES.AND THEN THE 3RD THING WAS SPECIAL EDUCATION.
YOU CAN SEE HERE FROM THIS PICTURE GRAPH THAT IN THIS STAFFING AND PROGRAMS TAKES UP THE BIGGEST PORTION OF THE, OF THE FUNDING THAT COMES FROM A LEVY AND WHAT IT PAYS FOR.
AND THEN STUDENT SAFETY IS SECOND AND SPECIAL EDUCATION IS THIRD.
STAFFING DOES INCLUDE A VARIETY OF THINGS THAT ARE DISTRICT WIDE SUPPORTS, SO IT'S HARD TO SAY THAT THAT ENCOMPASSES ALL THINGS STAFF CLASS SIZE WISE, BUT IT ESSENTIALLY IS.
CLASS SIZE IS DEFINITELY A PART OF THAT. SO AND THEN YOU CAN SEE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS, UTILITY INSURANCE, TECHNOLOGY, SPORTS, EXTRACURRICULAR.
AND THAT, OF COURSE, POINTS TO THE SUPPORTS THAT WE GET THROUGH OUR SAFETY STAFF, LIKE OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS AND OUR AND OUR COUNSELORS, THOSE TYPES OF PEOPLE. SO CERTAINLY THOSE ARE OF CONCERN.
AND THOSE THOSE ESSENTIALLY PROVIDE THE GAPS.
SO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS HERE TO SO THE STATE REIMBURSES US FOR CORE EDUCATION.
MOSTLY. MOSTLY. RIGHT. MOSTLY. AND THAT'S I'LL HAVE A FOLLOW UP QUESTION FOR THAT LATER.
BUT BUT ON HERE, WHEN IT'S TALKING ABOUT THE CURRICULA ON THE, ON THAT FIRST PART OF THE PIE GRAPH, ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR CURRICULUMS THAT ARE HOW TO SAY IT, THE MOST IN DANGER OVER OTHERS THAT COUNT MORE TOWARDS ENRICHMENT RATHER THAN CORE EDUCATION? WELL, I THINK THERE'S SOME REQUIREMENTS THAT HAVE COME IN THAT CONTINUE TO COME IN.
RIGHT. THE STRUGGLE IS THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE UNFUNDED MANDATES THAT COME TO US.
BUT HOW YOU DELIVER THAT IS IS YOU CAN DO IT AND MEET THE LETTER OF THE LAW, OR YOU CAN DO IT THE WAY I THINK THE LEGISLATION IS INTENDED. AND AND SO THOSE THINGS ARE VERY, VERY DIFFERENT.
WHILE OSPI WILL PROVIDE US WITH SOME RESOURCES, THEY DON'T NECESSARILY COME WITH TRAINING.
THEY DON'T COME WITH THE SUPPORT TO IMPLEMENT THEM.
AND SO WHAT HAPPENS IS OFTEN WHEN THINGS LIKE THAT HAPPEN YOU ARE BACKFILLING AND YOU GET YOU DO THAT BACKFILL WITH LEVY DOLLARS TYPICALLY. I WOULD SAY THAT NONE OF THE THING THAT'S INTERESTING IS THERE IS NO LINE ITEM THAT COMES TO US FROM THE, FROM THE STATE FOR CURRICULUM. THERE, THERE ISN'T A SINGLE PLACE WHERE YOU CAN SEE IN OUR BUDGET WHERE IT SAYS CURRICULUM, AND THIS IS WHAT IT PAYS FOR. IT IS INTENDED FOR US TO MAKE PRIORITY DECISIONS, AND YOU CAN DO THAT TO SOME DEGREE.
BUT WHEN YOU HAVE THINGS THAT ARE MANDATED, THEN YOU HAVE TO YOU HAVE TO FIND THE CURRICULUM.
AND WHAT I ALWAYS SAY ABOUT CURRICULUM IS IF YOU WANT YOUR STUDENTS TO HAVE A CONSISTENT EXPERIENCE ACROSS THE SYSTEM, YOU NEED STRONG CURRICULUMS, BECAUSE OTHERWISE WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IS TEACHERS ARE GOING TO GO OUT ON THEIR OWN AND FIND THINGS.
AND WHILE I LOVE OUR STAFF AND I THINK THAT THEY'RE THEY DO THE BEST JOB THEY POSSIBLY CAN, I'M I HAVE MY OWN CONCERNS ABOUT PEOPLE JUST GOING OUT AND FINDING WHATEVER TO MEET THESE REQUIREMENTS.
AND WITHOUT US SELECTING THE CURRICULUM AND HAVING A VERY TIGHT PLAN ABOUT HOW TO IMPLEMENT THAT CURRICULUM, IT'S THE WILD WEST. AND THAT'S NOT WHAT WE WANT HERE.
WE WANT YOU TOOK YOU TOOK THAT. I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU IF IT WOULD BE LIKE THE WILD WEST.
THAT'S GREAT. SO IT WOULD BASICALLY HELP US BE MORE CONSISTENT AND HAVE BETTER OVERSIGHT.
LESS WILD WEST IN THE SCHOOL. OKAY. YES, ABSOLUTELY.
OKAY. AND THEN FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION, HOW MUCH OF THAT THROUGH STATE DOLLARS IS
[00:20:05]
USUALLY PASS THROUGH, AND THEN HOW MUCH IS OF THAT IS USUALLY SUPPORTED THROUGH LEVY? IT'S ANYWHERE BETWEEN 3 AND $6 MILLION A YEAR THAT WE'RE PULLING FROM SPECIAL EDUCATION.THEY HAVE THEY HAVE UPPED THE GAME FOR US. I DON'T THINK THAT THE STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COULD EVER FULLY FUND SPECIAL EDUCATION, BECAUSE WHAT DRIVES SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS IS THE IEPE.
SO WHEN OUR STUDENTS MEET, WHEN A STUDENT HAS NEEDS AND THEY'VE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES, THE TEAM GETS TOGETHER AND THEY DEVELOP THEIR PLAN.
AND THE PLAN IS DRIVEN BY WHAT THE NEEDS ARE, THE DISABILITY IS.
SO I THINK THERE WOULD ALWAYS BE A BIT OF A GAP BETWEEN WHAT MIGHT BE NEEDED AND WHAT IS IS PAID FOR, BUT RIGHT NOW IT'S BETWEEN 3 AND 6 MILLION PER YEAR.
THIS IS BASED OVER THE LAST 4 YEARS, RIGHT? BUT THERE'S 2 FUNDING STREAMS FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION.
WE DO GET REIMBURSED TO A CERTAIN DEGREE. BUT AGAIN, THAT IS A PRETTY ACCURATE GAP OF YEAR TO YEAR OF WHAT WE ARE FUNDED VERSUS WHAT WE ACTUALLY SPEND. AND SO WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT THE SIPS, WE HAVE TIER1, 2 AND 3.
CORRECT. RIGHT. AND SO TIER 3 IS WHAT WOULD USUALLY IDENTIFY AS CLASSIC EDUCATION OR CLASSIC SUPPORTS. YEAH. AND THEN SO IS THAT TIER 2 THAT MIDDLE STEP IS KIND OF WHERE IT'S AMBIGUOUS.
YEAH. WITH THIS FUNDING. AND I WOULD SAY YES.
AND TIER 2 YOU MIGHT HAVE STUDENTS THAT ARE QUALIFIED OR YOU MAY HAVE STUDENTS WHO AREN'T QUALIFIED.
SO IT'S A MIX IN THAT TIER 2 AREA. YEAH. TIER 3 AS WELL.
BUT I WOULD SAY MORE OF YOUR TIER THREE KIDS WOULD BE QUALIFIED FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION GENERALLY.
OKAY. AND ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT THE TIERS, I THINK, IS AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PROGRAMING AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CURRICULUM IS WHEN WE WHEN WE THINK ABOUT TIER 1, THAT'S INSTRUCTION THAT EVERY SINGLE CHILD SHOULD GET.
EVERY STUDENT IN OUR SCHOOLS SHOULD BE GETTING THOSE INSTRUCTION PIECES.
SO AS YOU GO UP THOSE TIERS. WHAT YOU NEED TO PROVIDE FOR THEM GROWS.
AND IT'S STUDENT DEPENDENT. ALL RIGHT. LET'S SCOOT BACK A COUPLE.
ANYTHING ELSE CHRIS ON THIS OR ANYONE ELSE. NO NO NO NO THIS IS WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR.
YEP. ABSOLUTELY. ANYTHING ELSE ON THIS 1. ANYBODY? I JUST WANTED TO BRING UP FOR THE COMMUNITY. THEY PROBABLY NEED TO DO SOME REVIEWING.
RCW 28.A. 152. 210 AND 220. THEY'RE VERY CLEAR ABOUT WHAT IT IS THAT THEY EXPECT OF THE SCHOOLS.
THAT'S A VERY CLEAR EXPECTATION, UNFORTUNATELY.
THE UNDERSTANDING THAT AT LEAST WHAT IT SAYS HERE AND WHAT I'M UNDERSTANDING FROM THE RCW INTERPRETATION, IS THAT SPECIAL ED AND BILINGUAL INSTRUCTION ARE ALL TO BE FULLY FUNDED BY THE STATE.
AND THIS IS THIS IS BASED ON AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE RCW.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT'S A FACT. CORRECT. CORRECT, CORRECT.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO WITH OUR LEGISLATORS, IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE HERE.
WHICH WAS I WAS GOING TO POCKET THAT QUESTION FOR LATER.
BUT WELL, LET'S LET'S SEE IF IT COMES UP AGAIN BECAUSE YOU THERE'S A THERE'S A SLIDE IN HERE.
I THINK THAT PLAYS REALLY WELL TO THAT QUESTION.
OKAY. ONE OF THE ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I'VE BEEN TALKING WITH SOME OF OUR REPRESENTATIVES AND SOME OF OUR FOLKS OUT IN OLYMPIA AND WE WERE WE WERE KIND OF TALKING THROUGH A LOT OF THE UNFUNDED MANDATES THAT ARE HAPPENING.
AND IF WE COULD GET A LIST OF THE UNFUNDED MANDATES, THE RCW THE [INAUDIBLE]
[00:25:02]
HOW MUCH IT'S COSTING THE SCHOOL THROUGH THE CONVERSATIONS.AND SO WOULD IT BE FAIR TO ASK FOR THAT AT NEXT MEETING? YEAH, ACTUALLY LYNELLE HAS BEEN WORKING ON THAT.
AND IF WE TAKE TOO LONG PAST JANUARY 1ST, THEN THEY'LL THEY WILL LET US KNOW.
OH, WE'RE NOT AVAILABLE TO TALK TO YOU AT ALL UNTIL MARCH OR APRIL OR MAY, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER.
YOU KNOW. YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT POINT. AND THE 10, THE 10 MINUTE RECESS ADDITION, THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER THING THAT I THINK NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT AND THOUGHT ABOUT. AND WHOEVER PRESENTED THAT AND PASSED IT MAYBE NEEDS TO TAKE A SECOND LOOK AT THAT AS THE REALITIES OF THE COST AND THE AND THE AMOUNT OF JUST EVERYTHING THAT, YOU KNOW, FROM WHAT I HEARD YOU SAY THERE, IT REALLY MESSES WITH THE DAY, WITH THE STUDENTS LEARNING AND THE INSTRUCTION TIME AND ALL OF THAT.
ARE YOU REFERRING DEBBIE TO THE THE LUNCH? EXTRA 10 MINUTES? YEAH. SO THE THE SEATED LUNCH, SEATED LUNCH AND HOW THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT.
SO IF WE HAVE A CHILD WHO TAKES AN HOUR TO EAT, WELL, IT BASICALLY THE SEATED LUNCH TIME WILL BE WE WE ARE GUESSTIMATING OUR APPROXIMATION BASED ON THE STUDIES THAT AND WE DID A STUDY BEFORE IT ACTUALLY PASSED THAT WE WOULD ADD 10 MINUTES TO EVERY LUNCH PERIOD. SO ESSENTIALLY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IS IT TAKES ABOUT 10 MINUTES FOR THE LAST STUDENT IN A GRADE LEVEL TO GET ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE LUNCH LINE AND PAY. AND IT'S BASICALLY THE MINUTE THAT THAT LAST STUDENT SITS DOWN, THAT'S WHEN THE LUNCH PERIOD STARTS. AND THEN IT THEN IT'S 20 MINUTES FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE ALREADY BEEN EATING LUNCH FOR 10 MINUTES.
IT MAKES FOR A REALLY LONG LUNCH PERIOD. BUT WHAT IT DOES FINANCIALLY IS IT CREATES THIS ADDITIONAL TIME WHERE STUDENTS ARE SITTING THERE AND NEEDING TO BE SUPERVISED, AND YOU'VE GOT LITTLE ONES WHO ARE READY TO GO OUTSIDE AND IT BECOMES A LITTLE BIT OF A MANAGEMENT ISSUE, NOT A LITTLE BIT. IT BECOMES A MANAGEMENT ISSUE.
WHAT WE HAVE DONE IN THE PAST IS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, FOR THE MOST PART MAKE ADAPTATIONS AT SCHOOLS AND ALLOW THE STUDENTS WHO NEED A LITTLE LONGER TO STAY THERE UNTIL THEY'RE FINISHED AS THE NEXT GRADE LEVEL IS COMING IN.
AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT LOCALLY. BUT THIS IS REQUIRING A STATEWIDE WAY TO DO BUSINESS, WHICH I ALWAYS SAY, IF YOU IF YOU WANT TO FIX SOMETHING, YOU CAN USUALLY DO IT AT THE LOCAL LEVEL WITHOUT DISRUPTING AN ENTIRE SYSTEM.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, I THINK THIS THIS IS DOING JUST THAT.
I THINK IT WILL DISRUPT THE ENTIRE SYSTEM. PLUS EVERY LUNCH PERIOD WILL BE 10 MINUTES LONGER, WHICH IS ADDITIONAL STAFFING COST. AND THERE WAS NO FUNDING THAT CAME WITH THAT IN ORDER TO DO THAT.
AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, WE HAVE WE HAVE PLEASANT VALLEY CAMPUS, WHO HAS NO CAFETERIA.
AND SO THEY'RE ALREADY STRUGGLING BECAUSE THEY TAKE THEIR KIDS HAVE TO GO OUT, GO THROUGH A LUNCH LINE, GO BACK TO THE CLASSROOM AND SIT DOWN TO EAT.
AND THAT IS ALREADY ALMOST, I DON'T KNOW, 25, 30 MINUTES.
I SEE SOMEBODY IN THIS ROOM WHO PROBABLY COULD SPEAK TO THAT BETTER THAN I CAN, BUT IT IT IT'S PROBLEMATIC IN JUST THAT ONE EXAMPLE WE, WE ANTICIPATED WHEN WE DID A STUDY OF THE AMOUNT THAT IT WOULD COST JUST FOR THE SUPERVISION ALONE TO BE UPWARDS $30, $40,000 PER YEAR IN ADDITIONAL STAFFING.
AND THAT'S NOT THE NEW REGULATIONS AROUND RECESS TIME BECAUSE THERE'S SOME NEW REGULATIONS AROUND RECESS TIME WHICH, FRANKLY, ARE IN PLACE. K4. BUT FOR US IT'S A K5 REQUIREMENT.
SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT WITH FIFTH GRADERS NOW EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE ON A MIDDLE SCHOOL SCHEDULE, BECAUSE IN OUR DISTRICT, THEY ARE NOT PART OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WHICH IS WHAT THE LAW IS WRITTEN FOR.
I DO HAVE A DRAFT OF ABOUT 12 HOUSE BILLS, AND THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS IT HAS THAT IS READY JUST TO BE LOOKED AT FOR CONVERSATIONS THAT WILL HELP AT LEAST GUIDE. SO IT HAS LIKE WHAT HOUSE BILL IT IS, WHAT THE DISTRICT REQUIREMENTS ARE, WHAT THE IMPACT IS AND WHAT THE ESTIMATED IMPACT IN TERMS OF BUDGETARY CONFINES ARE.
THAT'D BE GREAT. THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. YEAH, THAT ARE EXISTING NOW OR ONES THAT ARE UPCOMING.
[00:30:04]
PERFECT. DO YOU HAVE THEM IDENTIFIED THAT THEY'RE APPROVED AND THAT THEY'RE COMING UP? THAT'S VERY HELPFUL. THANK YOU. YEAH. SO WE CAN WE CAN GET THAT SENT TO YOU VIA EMAIL.IS THAT THE BEST? SURE. THAT'D BE GREAT. JUST IN A TABLE.
IT'S JUST LIKE IN A MATRIX. I'M GOING TO ASK A LEFT SIDED QUESTION OR SOMETHING.
I DON'T KNOW HERE, BUT BUT IN THINKING ABOUT ALL OF THIS, I REMEMBER TEACHING, YOU KNOW, AND I REMEMBER TALKING WITH MY PRINCIPLES THAT I ADMIRED AND RESPECTED VERY MUCH, TALKING ABOUT THE INFLEXIBILITY OF OUR SCHEDULE.
RIGHT. YEAH. YOU KNOW, WHY CAN'T WE DO THIS? IF WE COULD DO THAT? OKAY. AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING OVER THE YEARS THAT THAT THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF THINGS THAT COME OUT OF LEGISLATION THAT MANDATE MINUTES AND DAYS AND IN TIMES LIKE THE LUNCH.
THEY UNDERSTAND HOW A DAY GOES AND HOW WE'RE ALL MESSED UP DOWN HERE IN BATTLE GROUND AND NEED TO FIX OUR CLOCKS SOMEHOW. RIGHT. ALL RIGHT, SO NOW I JUST WAS WONDERING IF YOU HAD AN OPINION.
OKAY, CAN WE THINK BACK TO THE YEARS WHEN MAYBE WE WERE A LOT MORE FLEXIBLE WITH OUR SCHEDULE, YOU KNOW, AND ABLE TO MAKE CHANGES ON THE RUN AND ON THE FLY AND MAYBE EVEN DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT AT THIS BUILDING, LIKE PLEASANT VALLEY AND THAT BUILDING LIKE DAYBREAK AND, AND HAVE ALL THIS STUFF.
AND SO JUST THE SEATED LUNCH LUNCHTIME WHEN YOU ADD TEN MINUTES TO SEATED LUNCH TIME AND YOU ADD THAT UP OVER THE COURSE OF 180 DAYS, YOU LOSE 7 DAYS WORTH OF INSTRUCTIONAL TIME. SO WHEN WHEN YOU 7 DAYS OF INSTRUCTIONAL TIME AND AND YET WE ASK OURSELVES WHY WE'RE NOT GETTING THE TEST SCORES WE WANT OR WHY WE'RE NOT GETTING THE RESULTS WE WANT, YOU CAN'T GET RID OF 7 DAYS AND THERE NOT BE AN IMPACT.
WE TALK ABOUT ALL THE TIME THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTENDANCE FOR OUR STUDENTS TO NOT MISS DAYS OF SCHOOL.
IT'S FOR THAT VERY REASON. IF YOU MISS TOO MUCH SCHOOL, YOU'RE MISSING LARGE CHUNKS OF LEARNING.
IT IS CHANGING OVER TIME. AND WHAT I WOULD SAY TERRY, I THINK TO GET TO YOUR QUESTION A LITTLE MORE DEEPLY, IS THAT EACH YEAR THERE'S ADDITIONAL THINGS THAT ARE COMING INTO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT WE'RE REQUIRED TO DO.
AND EACH ONE OF THOSE SHRINKS, THE PRIORITIES THAT WE HAVE ON THINGS THAT WE BELIEVE ARE IMPORTANT, MAKING SURE ALL KIDS READ BY 3RD GRADE, MAKING SURE THAT ALL ALL STUDENTS HAVE THEIR ALGEBRA SKILLS BY 9TH GRADE AND BY 9TH GRADE, ALL STUDENTS ARE PASSING ALL THEIR CLASSES. THOSE ARE BIG MILESTONES FOR US AND ALL OF THE ADDITIONAL THINGS THAT COME INTO THE SCHOOL.
THEY IMPACT OUR ABILITY TO HAVE SUCCESS IN THOSE AREAS.
AND SO WHAT I WOULD JUST SAY IS LET'S STOP IF I COULD ASK THE LEGISLATORS TO DO ANYTHING, IT WOULD BE LOOK AT THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE PASSED IN THE LAST 5 YEARS. ARE ANY OF THOSE EATING UP TIME OR EATING UP MONETARY RESOURCES OF DISTRICTS? THAT IS DRAWING AWAY FROM OUR PARAMOUNT DUTY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE THE SKILLS TO ENTER THE WORKFORCE? TO ME, THAT THAT WOULD BE THE QUESTION THAT I WOULD PUT ON IF I WERE PUTTING ON A FILTER AS A LEGISLATOR, I WOULD BE ASKING MYSELF THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING UP THAT COME UP WITH REALLY GOOD IDEAS.
AND I'M NOT NOT EVEN SAYING THAT THE THINGS THE SEATED LUNCH TIME IS A BAD THING.
KIDS HAVING ENOUGH TIME TO EAT IS A GOOD THING, BUT WHEN WE MANDATE IT TO HAPPEN A CERTAIN WAY, WE DON'T ALLOW THERE TO BE THE ABILITY OF DIFFERENT FROM SITE TO SITE TO BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT APPROPRIATELY BASED ON OUR OWN CONFIGURATIONS AND OUR OWN ISSUES. SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, LEGISLATORS COULD WORK WITH OSPI TO GIVE US A LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS VERSUS PASSING A LAW.
[00:35:07]
IT'S TO HAPPEN. AND THAT FLEXIBILITY WOULD THEN TURN INTO MORE SUCCESS FOR THE STUDENTS ACADEMICALLY AND SOCIALLY AND EVERYTHING. I BELIEVE SO. OKAY. SO SO YES. SO IN OTHER WORDS, ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING OVER THE YEARS HAVE IMPACTED CHILDREN'S SUCCESS. YEAH. AND I THINK THE THING IS, IS THAT WHEN WE REALLY GET DOWN TO THE CORE ESSENTIAL OR ESSENTIAL SKILLS THAT WE WANT EVERY STUDENT TO DO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO NAVIGATE WHEN WE HAVE STATE STANDARDS, WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT REALLY IS ESSENTIAL IN, IN EDUCATION WHEN WE WORK WITH SOLUTION TREE, WHICH IS THE COMPANY THAT HELPS US WITH OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES.THEY DESCRIBE IT AS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ARM AND THE HEART.
YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT A HEART. YOU CAN LIVE WITHOUT AN ARM.
AND IT'S REALLY NICE TO HAVE AN ARM, BUT YOU CAN LIVE WITHOUT IT.
YOU CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO READ, TO COMPREHEND WHAT WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE READING, TO MAKE MEANING OUT OF IT, AND TO GO ON INTO LIFE, TO MAKE MEANING.
SO THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT WE KNOW YOU HAVE TO HAVE.
AND IF WE CAN FOCUS ON THOSE THINGS, I KNOW THAT WE CAN BE MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN WE CURRENTLY ARE, BUT IT'S GOING TO TAKE IT'S GOING TO TAKE GETTING RID OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW AND NICE TO KNOW IS GREAT FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE ACHIEVED THE MUST HAVES, BUT EVERYONE MUST HAVE THE MUST HAVES.
IF WE'RE GOING TO JUST CONTINUE TO HAVE A SOCIETY THAT'S SUCCESSFUL.
SO WE'RE DELINEATING OUT THAT WORK AS EDUCATORS AND WORKING ON THAT ALL THE TIME.
BUT WE WE NEED HELP FROM OUR LAWMAKERS AS WELL.
I MEAN, IT'S JUST ALL THAT STUFF YOU SAID WAS REALLY GOOD.
AND AGAIN, TO THE HEART OF MY QUESTION, LIKE THAT HARD ARM THING THAT WAS REALLY POWERFUL.
TO THE HEART OF MY QUESTION, THOUGH, THE LEGISLATORS OSPI, THEY ALL SIT AROUND AND THEY SAY, WELL, THIS IS FOR THE GOOD OF THE KIDS. WE ARE TELLING YOU 10 MORE MINUTES FOR LUNCH BECAUSE THIS IS GOOD FOR THE KIDS. YOU'RE GOING TO ARGUE WITH THAT.
YOU SAY, NO, NO, WE'RE NOT GOING TO ARGUE WITH YOU.
BUT BUT IN FACT, TAKING THE ABILITY FROM YOU TO WORK WITH YOUR CAMPUSES AND SCHEDULE THEIR LUNCHES AND GET THEM INTO AND OUT OF THEIR CLASSROOMS ON TIME, AND GET AS MUCH LEARNING DONE AS WE CAN IN A DAY.
FOR THEM TO SIT IN OLYMPIA AND TELL YOU, THIS IS FOR YOUR KIDS AND IT'S GOOD FOR THEM.
AND NOT LETTING YOU DECIDE WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOUR KIDS IS A PROBLEM.
THAT HAS BEEN KIND OF, KIND OF OVERWHELMING US LIKE A TIDE, YOU KNOW, AND WE'RE WE'RE GOING UNDER, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A THING WITH ALL THESE GREAT THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING FOR US.
SO THAT'S JUST THAT'S JUST MY POINT. IT IS. AND YOU ARE SO RIGHT.
I MEAN, TWO THINGS CAN BE TRUE AT THE SAME TIME, RIGHT? IT CAN BE GOOD FOR KIDS AND IT CAN NOT BE POSSIBLE WHILE MAINTAINING OTHER REALITIES AS WELL.
YEAH. AT OUR NEW CAMPUSES, IT IMPACTS THEM HUGELY BECAUSE NEW WORK, NEWER 19 YEAR OLD CAMPUSES.
SO LUNCHES WOULD START AT 9:30 IN THE MORNING WHILE BREAKFAST ENDS AT 9:15, BECAUSE THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND THE PRIMARIES HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER TO SHARE BECAUSE THEY SHARE A CAFETERIA. IT SIMPLY DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
SO IS THERE ANY WAY FOR FOR US TO ASK FOR SOME SORT OF A EXCEPTION OR SOMETHING FOR OUR 5TH GRADERS SINCE THEY AREN'T LOCATED IN, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE IN A MIDDLE SCHOOL. THEY'RE NOT ACTUALLY IN A PRIMARY.
FOR FOR THE RECESS TIME. IT'S POSSIBLE THE LUNCH TIME, WE WE ACTUALLY DID A WAIVER.
THEY TOLD US WE WOULD BE ABLE TO DO IT ONE YEAR, AND WE DID A WAIVER FOR THE RECESS TIME.
THEY HAVE POSTPONED THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SEATED LUNCH TIME TO 29-30.
SO IT'S THEY'VE PUSHED IT OUT. BUT I DON'T SEE THEM CHANGING IT UNLESS THEY REPEAL SOMETHING.
AND I DON'T THINK MORE TIME IS GOING TO FIX THE ISSUE.
SO I'M, I'M CONCERNED THAT IT'S JUST KICKED THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD.
SO I REALLY DO THINK THAT OUR LEGISLATORS IF THEY IF THEY COULD GET BEHIND THIS IDEA OF UNFUNDED OR UNDERFUNDED MANDATES, THEY REALLY COULD HELP US.
AND FOR THEM, I DON'T THINK WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR FUNDING.
[00:40:07]
ARE THERE OTHER MANDATES THAT ARE ARE COSTING TIME AND DISTRACTING AWAY FROM THE CORE EDUCATION THINGS THAT WE COULD TAKE TO THE LEGISLATORS? YEAH, THIS THE LIST THAT LYNELLE HAS BEEN WORKING ON PUTTING TOGETHER FOR US AND AND PUTTING THAT TOGETHER.THAT DRAFT HAS A LOT OF THINGS. AND CERTAINLY WE COULD TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT MORE AFTER YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT, BECAUSE I MY GUESS IS YOU'LL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT SOME OF THAT.
AND WE CERTAINLY COULD COULD TALK ABOUT THAT.
I WOULD LOVE TO DIG INTO THIS A LITTLE BIT FURTHER.
SO HER LIST HAS NO. YOUR LIST HAS THINGS THAT COST US MONEY, BUT ALSO THINGS THAT COST US TIME.
CORRECT. OKAY, GREAT. AND SO IT HAS LIKE IT HAS A LITTLE SUMMARY, A LITTLE BURDEN STATEMENT.
IT TALKS ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE. SO YOU'LL KNOW LIKE IF IT'S AN ACTIVE HOUSE BILL THAT WE ARE DOING RIGHT NOW OR IT'S IN THE FUTURE ESTIMATED COST AND THEN SOME OTHER IMPLICATIONS IN TERMS OF STAFF TIME.
WHAT IT WHAT IT WILL DO IS BESIDES THE DIRECT COST, IT WILL IT HAS DONE A CALCULATION OF THE TIME THAT CERTAIN STAFF NEED TO IMPLEMENT IT SO THAT YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE ANCILLARY COSTS THAT AREN'T FORWARD FACING SOMETIMES, LIKE THE SEATED LUNCH TIME, BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL SAY, OH, THERE'S NO COST TO THAT.
WELL, YEAH, THERE IS. AND SO IT, IT STARTS TO COMPUTE THE ADDED STAFFING TIME.
SO HOPEFULLY. ALL RIGHT. SO 1 OF THE QUESTIONS THAT HAS COME UP IS WHERE WHAT'S GOING ON WITH OUR ENROLLMENT. AND OUR ENROLLMENT IS DEFINITELY INCREASING.
THE THE PIECE THAT'S ALWAYS INTERESTING IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT ENROLLMENT OVERALL AROUND US, BIRTH RATES CERTAINLY ARE IMPACTING MORE AND MORE FAMILIES, HOME SCHOOLING, A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES BEING AVAILABLE TO OUR FAMILIES.
BUT FOR US, OUR ENROLLMENT IS CONTINUING TO INCREASE.
AND SO OUR DISTRICT IN RIDGEFIELD CONTINUES TO SEE GROWTH.
SO FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, THAT DOES BRING US IN MORE MONEY, BUT IT ALSO BRINGS US IN MORE NEEDS WHEN IT COMES TO ALL THE CURRICULUM AND THE SPACE AND ALL OF THOSE OTHER ADDITIONAL THINGS. AND OUR ENROLLMENT IS ACTUALLY THOUGH IT'S INCREASING, BUT IT'S LOWER THAN IT WAS PRE-COVID. CORRECT.
YEAH, IT'S ALMOST ON PAR. WE'RE WE'RE ALMOST TO WHERE WE WERE PRE-COVID.
SHE TALKS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ENROLLMENT STUDY THAT WE HAD, AND IN THE ENROLLMENT STUDY, THEY MADE PROJECTIONS AT A HIGH LEVEL, A MID LEVEL AND A LOW LEVEL.
WE'RE AT THE MID LEVEL, SO WE'RE PRETTY MUCH ON PAR WITH WHAT WE HEARD IN THE ENROLLMENT STUDY.
WHAT'S WHAT IS INTERESTING IS THERE'S BUBBLES.
AND THERE ARE AREAS THAT ARE HIGHER AND LOWER ACROSS THE SYSTEM THAN THE ENROLLMENT STUDY SAID.
BUT ULTIMATELY WE ARE RIGHT WHERE THE PROJECTIONS WERE AT, AND IF IT CONTINUES TO INCREASE, WE'RE GOING TO BE IN IN EIGHT YEARS, WE SHOULD BE AT 14,500.
SO CONTINUING TO GROW. HOPEFULLY IT'S A QUICK QUESTION.
SO 21-22 TO 24-25 IS APPROXIMATELY 3 YEARS. 24 TO 25 TO 28 WOULD BE 3 YEARS.
OKAY. WELL IN THOSE THESE 321, THE FIRST 3 YEARS WE GOT 100, WE GOT 1200 GROWTH OKAY.
YEAH. SO 1200 GROWTH IN THREE YEARS. AND THEN YOU LOOK AT THE 14 5.
THAT'S JUST A LITTLE OVER 1200 GROWTH. AND THAT'S A LOT LONGER THAN 3 YEARS.
IS THERE ANY YOU HAVE ANY INSIGHT INTO HOW THEY PROJECTED THIS NUMBER AND CAME UP WITH SUCH A MUCH LOWER NUMBER THAN THE LAST FEW YEARS? YEAH. WELL, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS HARD FOR US TO KNOW, AND I DO THINK WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO DO ANOTHER ENROLLMENT STUDY IN PROBABLY IN THE NEAR FUTURE. AFTER THE COUNTY FINISHES THEIR COMPREHENSIVE GROWTH PLAN SO THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON THAT RIGHT NOW.
I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND IS THE URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARY WAS SET, AND THEY HAVE LEFT IT ALONE TO TRY AND CREATE INFILL IN THE VANCOUVER AREA, WHERE PEOPLE THAT LIVED ON ACRE PIECES COULD SUBDIVIDE THAT INTO MULTIPLE PIECES.
[00:45:07]
THEY'VE THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.AND I JUST KNOW THAT FIRSTHAND BECAUSE MY HUSBAND'S A CIVIL ENGINEER AND THAT'S HIS WORLD.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE'RE HAVING THE CRISIS WE ARE WITH LACK OF HOUSING, IS THAT THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO PROJECT THOSE BOUNDARIES OUT TO MAKE ROOM FOR ADDITIONAL PEOPLE TO MOVE INTO THE AREA, BECAUSE THE DEMAND IS THERE FOR ADDITIONAL HOUSING.
BUT THE ABILITY TO BREAK PROPERTIES UP. IF YOU GO TO A LOT OF OUR DISTRICT THERE, A LOT OF THEM ARE R 20, WHICH MEANS THEY CAN'T BE BROKEN DOWN LOWER THAN 20 ACRE PIECES.
SO WE ANTICIPATE THAT WHEN THE WHEN THE NEW COUNTY PLAN IS OUT COUNTY WIDE, IT WILL HAVE IMPACTS ON OUR DISTRICT IN TERMS OF BRINGING IN ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT, WHICH WILL THEN IMPACT OUR SCHOOLS, WHICH THEN MEANS SIMPLY THAT WE'LL HAVE MORE THAN THE 14.5.
YEAH, WE VERY EASILY PROJECTION IS THAT WE PROBABLY WILL HAVE MORE THAN THE 14.
THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE. YEP. YEAH. IT WILL BE HARD FOR US TO KNOW UNTIL WE KNOW WHAT THAT PLAN LOOKS LIKE, TO KNOW WHAT THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS MIGHT BE. BUT YEAH, AND IT IS TRUE THAT BIRTH RATES ARE LOWER, BUT WE WE JUST HAVEN'T REALLY FELT THAT THE WAY OUR OTHER NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS HAVE FELT THAT.
AND I THINK PART OF THAT IS ALSO THE MAKEUP OF OUR DISTRICT.
WHEN AND WHO MAYBE CAME UP WITH THIS 14 FIVE? WAS THIS A FEW YEARS AGO OR WAS IT LIKE LAST WEEK? WELL, AMANDA, WHAT'S THE TIMELINE? YOU PROBABLY KNOW BETTER THAN I DO.
GENERALLY IT WAS DONE IN 2023. OKAY, SO IN 2023 THEY CAME UP WITH THAT NUMBER.
OKAY. AND SOME OF THE DATA THAT THEY USED FOR THEIR MODELING IS NOW FAIRLY OLD.
BUT THAT WAS WHAT WAS AVAILABLE AT THE TIME. GOOD CHANCE.
IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT MORE. YEAH YEAH YEAH. IT'D ALSO BE GREAT TO SEE WHERE IN THE DISTRICT WE'RE SEEING THE THE HIGHEST HEAT MAP WHERE EVERYONE'S MOVING. YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT NORTH COUNTY IS GROWING FAST.
PEOPLE ARE MOVING IN THERE REALLY FAST. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE MOVING UP THERE, THEN MAYBE DOWN IN BATTLE GROUND OR, YOU KNOW, THOSE SORT OF THINGS, THAT'D BE A HELPFUL TOOL TO HELP US KIND OF PLAN WITH.
YEAH. TO KNOW WHERE I THINK WOULD BE REALLY IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING RIGHT NOW WE OWN ONE ONE REALLY K-8 DEVELOPABLE PIECE OF PROPERTY. AND WE HAVE ONE PROPERTY ACROSS FROM AMBOY, AND THAT'S THOSE ARE REALLY THE ONLY PIECES OF LAND THAT WE HAVE AS A DISTRICT.
THERE'S A COUPLE OF SURPRISES ON HERE THAT I THINK ARE WORTH TALKING ABOUT.
THE BIGGEST 1 IS THE TRANSPORTATION BENEFITS.
YOU CAN SEE, WE ANTICIPATE THAT THAT'S A $2 MILLION PRICE TAG.
I WOULD SAY AT LEAST $2 MILLION. SO THE LEGISLATURE PASSED A BILL THAT MAKES IT SO.
IF YOU HAVE CONTRACTED TRANSPORTATION SERVICES LIKE WE DO WHEN THERE'S AN OPEN CONTRACT, WHICH WE HAVE, AS YOU KNOW, YOU APPROVED THE RFP FOR US TO GO OUT TO BID FOR BUS SERVICES.
WHEN THAT HAPPENS, WHEN YOU WHEN YOU GET A NEW CONTRACT, WE NOW HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE OFFERING THE SAME LEVEL OF BENEFITS TO THEIR EMPLOYEES THAT OUR EMPLOYEES GET IN DISTRICT.
UNFORTUNATELY, IN THE LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THEY DID NOT APPORTION THE MONEY TO THE.
I THINK IT'S 6 SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE WHO ARE IN AN OPEN CONTRACT JUST LIKE WE ARE, WHICH MEANS THAT IF THEY DON'T FIX THAT IN THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION, OUR DISTRICT IS ON THE HOOK FOR THAT 2 PLUS MILLION DOLLARS THAT WE DID NOT PLAN FOR.
SO THAT'S CERTAINLY A BIG CONCERN IN OUR MIND TO COME UP WITH $2 MILLION.
THERE IS NO WAY FOR US TO SIDESTEP THAT BECAUSE IT WASN'T APPORTIONED.
IT'S IN LAW, AND WE WOULD HAVE TO WE WOULD HAVE TO FIGURE THAT OUT.
[00:50:01]
SO THAT'S THAT'S A WORRY. YOU ALSO SEE THE STATE SALES TAX ON THERE, THE EXCISE TAX.THAT'S A GUESSTIMATION OUR BEST ESTIMATION OF ANY CONTRACTED SERVICES THAT WE DO, WHETHER IT BE FOR IT SUPPORT ON THINGS LIKE CYBER SECURITY OR WHETHER IT BE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OFFERINGS, ANYTHING THAT IS A CONTRACTED SERVICE. WE ARE NOW REQUIRED TO PAY SALES TAX ON, SO 8.6% WILL BE PAYING.
AND OUR GUESS AT THIS POINT IS THAT IT'S BE ABOUT A QUARTER OF $1 MILLION THIS YEAR.
WE HAVEN'T GONE THROUGH THAT AND HAVEN'T GOT THE BILLS.
SO IT'S JUST AN ESTIMATE AT THIS POINT. BUT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE THINKING THE NUMBER WILL BE CLOSE TO.
AND THEN JUST, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING'S GOING UP.
THE WATER RATES ARE AN INCREASE THIS YEAR THAT WE DIDN'T ANTICIPATE.
BUT AGAIN, THEY HAVEN'T RAISED FOR MANY YEARS.
AND SO IT'S NOT SURPRISING THAT OUR OUR LOCAL PUD HAD TO RAISE THOSE RATES.
SO THE UTILITIES RISK AND WATER RATES THOSE ARE JUST RISING COSTS.
BUT THE SALES TAX WAS THAT CHANGE IN. YEAH. YEAH.
IT WAS A WAY FOR THE STATE TO LOOK FOR ANOTHER FUNDING REVENUE.
BUT IT IT DOES IT IS A REQUIREMENT OF US. I'M NOT SURE THEY, THEY REALIZE THAT UNTIL AFTER THE FACT.
SO. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? DID YOU HAVE THAT ONE ON YOUR LIST TOO ALREADY? UNFUNDED MANDATES? I THINK SO. OKAY. OH YEAH.
JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA. YOU CAN SEE HERE SAFETY AND SECURITY IS A BIGGIE FOR US.
A LOT OF THAT IS NOT IS NOT FUNDED. AND SO WE WE FEEL LIKE THE, THE SAFETY AND SECURITY PIECES THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE ARE VERY NECESSARY. AND SO THAT'S JUST THAT'S THE GAP BETWEEN WHAT'S FUNDED AND WHAT AND WHAT WE PLAN FOR SUBSTITUTE REQUIREMENTS. THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING STATISTIC.
AND PEOPLE LOOK AT ME REALLY FUNNY WHEN I SAY THIS, BUT WE'RE WE'RE ESSENTIALLY BY STATE LAW, WE MUST PROVIDE A SICK DAY PER DAY PER EMPLOYEE.
BUT THE STATE ONLY FUNDS 4 DAYS TOTAL FOR CERTIFICATED FUNDED STAFF.
SO THAT MEANS OUR TEACHING STAFF. THAT DOESN'T MEAN OUR CLASSIFIED, LIKE OUR CUSTODIANS OR OUR HEAD SECRETARIES OR OR EVEN OUR OFFICE STAFF THAT DOES PAYROLL OR HR TECHNICIANS. NONE OF THOSE PEOPLE HAVE ANY FUNDED SUBSTITUTE DAYS, BUT IF THEY BECOME SICK, WE'RE REQUIRED TO, OF COURSE, PROVIDE A SICK DAY.
SO THIS IS A HUGE GAP, AND THIS HITS EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL DISTRICT ACROSS THE STATE.
THIS IS NOT UNIQUE TO BATTLE GROUND. THIS IS DEFINITELY AN AREA THAT OUR LEGISLATORS SHOULD.
IF THEY HAD MONEY, THIS WOULD BE AN AREA THAT THEY COULD FIX ACROSS THE BOARD FOR EVERY SINGLE DISTRICT VERY, VERY EASILY. IT BECAUSE IT FLOWS, IT JUST PASSES THROUGH.
IT'S JUST A PASS THROUGH, ESSENTIALLY. BUT THAT'S A BIG ONE.
SPECIAL EDUCATION, WHICH WE ALREADY TALKED A BIT ABOUT.
OBVIOUSLY THAT'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE A STRUGGLE.
THEY ARE. THEY ARE HERE. AND IF THEY QUALIFY, THEY QUALIFY.
SO THAT CERTAINLY HAS HELPED SPORTS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.
I DON'T THINK PEOPLE REALIZE THAT NONE OF THAT IS IS FUNDED THROUGH THE STATE.
A LOT OF THIS IS FUNDRAISERS, ASB FUNDS, STUDENTS RAISE THE THE FUNDS.
AND THEN OF COURSE, WE HAVE HAD TO INCREASE OUR PARTICIPATION FEES.
SO THAT HITS OUR FAMILIES PRETTY DIRECTLY WHERE WHERE WE HAVE TYPICALLY PICKED UP ALL OF THESE COSTS IN THE LEVY IS THAT WE USUALLY PAY THE COACHING CONTRACTS, WE PAY THE TRANSPORTATION FOR EXTRACURRICULARS, AND WE PAY FOR ALL AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES.
SO CLUBS, PLAYS, CHOIRS, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS WE HAVE, WE HAVE THE, THE GAP BETWEEN THOSE TYPES
[00:55:07]
OF PROGRAMS. I'M GOING TO TAKE A DRINK OF WATER.THIS THIS SLIDE SHOWS YOU THE OPERATING COSTS FOR EACH OF THOSE YEARS THAT THE BUDGET HAS CLOSED ON.
SO YOU CAN NOW SEE WHAT THOSE FUNDING AMOUNTS WERE.
SO WE HAD ALL OF OUR OPERATING COSTS ARE IN THE GRAY.
AND EACH ONE OF THOSE YEARS WE'VE HAD AN EP&O LEVY.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE AMOUNT 27.49,000. 29.05, 30.35.
WHAT'S ALSO NOTABLE, AND I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO KNOW AND OUR COMMUNITY TO KNOW, IS THAT WHEN WE WENT OUT FOR THE LAST LEVY, WE TOOK INTO CONSIDERATION THAT WE WERE RECEIVING STATE OR FEDERAL ESSER DOLLARS.
SO THOSE ARE THOSE COVID RELIEF FUNDS, THE ENROLLMENT STABILIZATION WE TOOK INTO INTO ACCOUNT THOSE DOLLARS, AND WE DIDN'T ASK FOR MORE FROM OUR COMMUNITY.
WE USED THOSE DOLLARS TO NOT ONLY MEET THE NEEDS OF COVID RELIEF, BUT TO ALSO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF NEED FOR OUR COMMUNITY. SO WHEN WE ASKED FOR $1.99 PER $1,000 OF ASSESSED VALUE AS A MILLAGE RATE, WE KEPT IN MIND THAT WE WERE GETTING SOME FEDERAL DOLLARS AND WE DIDN'T HAVE TO ASK AS MUCH, SO WE DIDN'T GO OUT FOR WHAT WE WOULD HAVE NEEDED HAD THOSE DOLLARS NOT BEEN THERE.
AND AT THAT TIME, THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'D ACTUALLY GOTTEN A HEALTHY ENOUGH FUND BALANCE THAT WE COULD DO CURRICULUM ADOPTIONS AND SOME OF THOSE OTHER THINGS THAT AS A DISTRICT, WE HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO DO FOR MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS.
SO PEOPLE ASK, WELL, DID YOU USE YOUR ESSER DOLLARS FOR ONE TIME MONEY? WELL, YES, WE DID, BUT WE ALSO USED IT TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT THAT WE NEEDED TO RELY ON OUR COMMUNITY FOR.
SO YEAH. GOOD NEWS. BAD NEWS IS YOU. WE STILL NEEDED IT.
WE JUST GOT IT FROM A DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCE, WHICH WAS ESSENTIALLY ALLOWED FOR US TO DO BECAUSE WE COULD BACKFILL THINGS LIKE OUR INTERVENTION PROGRAMS AND SOME OF THOSE THINGS BECAUSE THOSE WERE COVID IMPACTED THINGS.
SO YOU CAN ALSO SEE THAT WHAT HAPPENED IN 21-22, AS I JUST MENTIONED, WE GOT OUR HIGHEST FUND BALANCE SAVINGS, AND THAT WAS BECAUSE OF THE COVID RELIEF DOLLARS.
BUT THEN OF COURSE, WE HAD TO IMMEDIATELY START USING THOSE FUNDS TO PAY FOR CURRICULUM AND PAY FOR THE FACT THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH EP&O LEVY TO ACTUALLY GET US TO THE AMOUNT THAT WE NEEDED IN ORDER TO SURVIVE.
AND YOU CAN SEE SINCE 23-24, WE HAVEN'T HAD AN UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE.
AND WE'VE GOT APPROPRIATE CASH FLOW. THAT'S WHAT THAT DOLLAR IS.
BUT THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE REALLY WAS THE RAINY DAY FUND.
THE THE GREEN THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE, LIKE I SAID, IS ONLY WHAT'S LEFT.
AND WE'VE USED UP THE ASSIGNED. WE'VE USED UP THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE.
QUESTIONS ABOUT ABOUT THIS SLIDE. ANY QUESTIONS? WHEN MICHELLE TOLD US THAT THERE WAS ABOUT 6 WEEKS CASH ON HAND.
IS THAT IT'S ACTUALLY LIKE. 14 DAYS, 15 DAYS.
14, 15 DAYS. IS THAT IS THAT USING THE MONEY FOR POLICY 60-22.
THAT IS, THAT'S THAT IS WHAT THAT MONEY IS. OKAY.
YEP. SO WE HAVE ABOUT 2 WEEKS, ABOUT TWO WEEKS SAVED UP OKAY.
YEP. NOT A GREAT AMOUNT. IT IS WHAT IS REQUIRED BY LAW.
IF YOU SEE OSPI AS RECOMMENDATIONS, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS 4 TO 6% IS WHAT THEY RECOMMEND.
BUT THEY'RE ALSO ASSUMING THAT MOST DISTRICTS HAVE AN ASSIGNED AND AN UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE, WHICH WE DON'T. AND I WOULD SAY LOCALLY, WELL, REALLY IN MANY PLACES ACROSS THE STATE, NOBODY REALLY DOES ANYMORE.
HAVE MUCH IN EITHER OF THOSE AREAS. I CAN TELL YOU THAT VANCOUVER AND EVERGREEN DON'T.
[01:00:01]
THEY'RE THEY'RE ASKING FOR SHORT TERM LOANS. AND THAT'S THE CONCERN THAT WE HAVE IS THAT WE WILL BE IN THAT SAME BOAT IF WE CAN'T GET SOME MORE FINANCIAL STABILITY GOING. AND THE ONLY WAY THAT WE KNOW TO DO THAT IS EITHER THE LEGISLATURE NEEDS TO DROP A LOT OF UNFUNDED MANDATES, OR WE NEED TO PASS A LEVY. SO THIS GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF COLLECTION BY YEAR.AND YOU CAN ALSO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON. SO THE LAST TIME THAT WE QUALIFIED FOR THAT LEA THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, THAT'S THAT BLUE LINE IN THERE WAS IN 2021, THAT'S THE LAST TIME THAT WE QUALIFIED FOR THAT.
THE EP&0 LEVIES, YOU CAN SEE THE PROJECTION THERE.
AND THEN IN THE GREEN IS THE ESSER DOLLARS AND YOU CAN SEE THAT, THAT AMOUNT.
SO FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU LOOK AT 2021 WE BETWEEN THOSE 3 AREAS, WE WERE BRINGING IN 41, JUST A LITTLE OVER $41 MILLION. WHAT WE'RE REALLY ASKING FOR OUR VOTERS TO CONSIDER IS THIS FIRST YEAR IN 2027 IS 43 MILLION.
AND YOU CAN SEE WHY IT IT SEEMS SO EXTREME. WHILE THAT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY, THE REALITY IS WE'VE GOTTEN OURSELVES BEHIND. WE'VE LOST OUR OUR MINIMUM FUND. WE'VE LOST OUR FUND BALANCE.
WE HAVE NO ASSIGNED OR UNASSIGNED. WE ONLY HAVE THE MINIMUM FUND BALANCE POLICY.
AND WE'VE GOTTEN OURSELVES IN AN UNSTABLE SITUATION.
AND SO REALLY, OUR HOPE IS TO JUST HAVE THOSE FUNDS TO STABILIZE AS A DISTRICT, NOT NOT GROW PROGRAMS, BUT TO STABILIZE PROGRAMS WITH RISING COSTS AND UNFUNDED MANDATES.
SO WITHOUT HAVING THE LEA MONEY, WITHOUT HAVING THE ESSER DOLLARS, YOU CAN SEE IN 2026 HAVING NOTHING OVER THESE 2 YEARS. THAT'S WHY WE'RE DIPPING INTO THAT FUND BALANCE IN ORDER TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
AND THAT'S JUST FLAT OUT NOT SUSTAINABLE BECAUSE IT'S ONE TIME MONEY.
CORRECT? CORRECT. YEAH. SO YOU CAN SEE HERE TO THE TAX RATES OVER TIME.
AND THIS IS THIS IS ESSENTIALLY THE MILLAGE RATE.
SO THE LEVY THAT WE CAME OUT OF PRIOR TO THE ONE THAT IS EXPIRING THIS DECEMBER, THAT WAS ACTUALLY PASSED AT $3.66. SO IT'S REALLY HARD TO IMAGINE THAT WE WERE AT $3.66 PER $1,000 OF ASSESSED VALUE.
AND WE'RE TRYING TO PASS 1 AT $1.99 OF ASSESSED VALUE.
AND WHAT WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS THE STATE HAS COMPLETELY REDONE.
WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE LEVEY? WHEN THEY PASSED THE THE CHANGEOVER IN MCCLEARY.
WHAT THEY DID IS THEY SENT THEY THEY LOCAL TAX DOLLARS GOT DIVERTED.
SOME OF THEM WERE GOING STRAIGHT UP TO THE STATE.
AND THEN WHAT THEY DID IS THEY PUT A CAP ON THE LOCAL AMOUNT FOR $1.50.
THEY DID THAT FOR ONE YEAR AND WENT, WHOOPS, THAT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR LOCAL DISTRICTS TO SURVIVE.
21-21-16 I THINK IT'S 21-16 YEAH, YEAH, THAT WOULD RAISE THAT AMOUNT TO $3 THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS COULD GO OUT TO THEIR COMMUNITY AND ASK FOR. THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD CONSIDER IN THIS DISTRICT BECAUSE FRANKLY, OUR OUR VOTERS ARE NOT ABOUT READY TO ACCEPT THAT.
SO IT OR BELOW $2. SO I DON'T THAT THAT ISN'T RELIEF THAT WE WOULD SAY IS GOING TO BENEFIT OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY AT ALL. I, I UNDERSTAND WHY THEY'E DOING, BUT DOING THAT IT WILL HELP DISTRICTS THAT HAVE NO PROBLEM PASSING ADDITIONAL TAXES. BUT WE'RE NOT ONE OF THOSE DISTRICTS. SO, 01, I THINK THAT NEW HOUSE BILL LOOKS LIKE IT'LL HELP THE DISTRICTS.
YOU CAN PASS A LEVY AND IT'LL HELP THE DISTRICTS WHO QUALIFY FOR THE MONEY.
YES. SO IF WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET THE MONEY. WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET THE MONEY OR PASS A LEVY.
YEAH. SUIT. SO. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY 1 OF THE REASONS THAT IT'S BEING PUT INTO PLACE IS,
[01:05:04]
IS TO RESPOND TO THE WAY IN WHICH THAT HAS REALLY PLAYED OUT.SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THE TAX RATES HERE, YOU CAN SEE IN THAT PURPLE.
THAT'S THE BOND THAT FELL OFF IN DECEMBER OF 2023.
AND WHEN WE ASKED OUR COMMUNITY WHETHER THEY WERE READY FOR NEW BUILDINGS, THEY SAID, NO, WE WANT YOU TO UPGRADE. AND THAT'S WHY WE WENT OUT FOR A CAPITAL LEVY.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT $0.46 THERE, AND IT'S NOW DROPPED TO $0.45 FOR THIS NEXT YEAR.
SO AND THEN WITH THE EXPIRING EP&O LEVY, YOU CAN SEE IN 2026 THE ONLY THING THAT OUR LOCAL TAXPAYERS WILL SEE THAT WILL BE COMING TO BATTLE GROUND PUBLIC SCHOOLS DIRECTLY IS THAT CAPITAL LEVY DOLLARS.
AND SO IF THEY'RE WONDERING WHY A PROJECT LIKE THE CONSTRUCTION TRADE BUILDING WILL GET BUILT? IT'S BECAUSE THEY APPROVED THAT LEVY DOLLARS.
BUT WE CAN'T PUT IT INTO OUR OPERATIONAL BUDGET.
THAT'S A BIT OF WHAT WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT WITH THIS LEVY, BECAUSE WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE WITH SOME OF THOSE CONSTRUCTION TRADE PROGRAMS, SOME OF THOSE CTE PROGRAMS WITH THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE IN THEM, BECAUSE WE WE ARE ABLE TO STAFF MORE RICHLY WITH AN EP&O LEVY THAN WE WOULD BE ABLE TO WITHOUT IT.
AND SO IT WILL BE A TRAVESTY IF WE END UP HAVING A BUILDING THAT IS BUILT FOR OUR CONSTRUCTION TRADE PROGRAM, BUT NO LEVY TO OR TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAMING OR THE STAFFING TO PUT STUDENTS IN THAT BUILDING.
SO THAT IS THE TYPE OF THING THAT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT.
AND IF WE DO PASS THE EP&O LEVY THIS FEBRUARY THAN IN 2027.
YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR TOTAL WILL BE $2.44. ASSUMING THAT THAT MILLAGE RATE OF $1.99 STAYS WHERE IT'S AT, AND ASSUMING THAT THE CAPITAL LEVY STAYS WHERE IT'S AT AS WELL.
SO ONE OF THE CONCERNS THAT I HAVE ABOUT THIS IS, YOU KNOW, YOU REALLY DO WANT TO SEE IF YOU WANT A DISTRICT TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMS AND MOVING THE EDUCATION OF STUDENTS FORWARD.
YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR FUNDING IS STABLE.
WE WE CAN'T SEEM TO SAY TO STAY AT A STABLE RATE FOR THOSE 2 AREAS OF FUNDING SOURCES.
AND SO THAT'S CERTAINLY A CONCERN. LONG TERM.
YOU CAN SEE EVEN THAT VERY FIRST YEAR IT IMMEDIATELY WENT DOWN TO $1.97.
AND THAT $1.99 PROJECTION RIGHT NOW IN 2025 SITS AT $1.68.
SO WHILE WE'RE SAYING WE'RE SHOWING THAT WE HAVE $1.99 IN 2027, 2028, 2029 AND 2030, THERE'S A VERY GOOD CHANCE THAT IT WOULD BE LOWER THAN THAT.
WE THIS IS A SLIDE THAT WE WANTED TO PUT TOGETHER FOR YOU.
MICHELLE DID SOME RESEARCH FOR US ACROSS THE DISTRICT.
I TALKED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER ABOUT DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES AND HOW THAT PLAYS OUT ON ASSESSED VALUES AND, AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR PEOPLE ACROSS OUR DISTRICT.
BETWEEN 2020 AND 2025, YOU CAN SEE WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE.
SO IN THE 1ST EXAMPLE, THE HOUSE VALUE $350,000.
THE ASSESSED VALUE IS NOW $525,000. SO THE ASSESSED VALUE HAS GROWN BY 50%.
BUT THE ANNUAL EP&O TAX ACTUALLY ONLY GREW BY $7.
IT'S A 1% INCREASE. SO IT KIND OF SHOWS YOU WHAT SOMETIMES HAPPENS.
BUT OFTENTIMES WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING IS THE AMOUNT THAT WE'RE COLLECTING STAYS STAGNANT.
WE ASK FOR $1 MILLION AMOUNT AND THAT AND THAT ASSESSED VALUE CHANGES OVER TIME.
AND SO WHEN THAT ASSESSED VALUE CHANGES, YOU CAN SEE THAT TAX RATE DECREASED FROM $2.50 IN 2020 DOWN TO $1, $1.65 IN 2025. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT IT IT CHANGES DEPENDING ON WHERE THOSE HOUSES MAY, MAY EXIST WITHIN OUR
[01:10:07]
DISTRICT. IN THE 2ND HOUSE EXAMPLE, THIS WAS A $40 OR $400,000 HOME AND IT'S NOW WORTH $650,000.SO THE ASSESSED VALUE ON THE HOUSE WENT UP BY 63% IN THOSE IN THOSE 5 YEARS.
BUT THE EP&O TAX WOULD BE AN INCREASE OF $92 ANNUALLY, WHICH IS A 9% INCREASE.
SO IT KIND OF SHOWS YOU THAT THE HOUSE VALUE IS GOING UP PRETTY QUICKLY.
BUT THE EP&O TAX, YOU'RE NOT SEEING A HUGE INCREASE OVERALL IN THAT OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME.
THIS IS I ALWAYS SAY THIS IS BOTH MY FAVORITE SLIDE AND MY LEAST FAVORITE SLIDE.
AND I'M PROUD OF THAT FACT. I THINK THAT WE USE OUR MONEY VERY, VERY WISELY.
WE MAKE GOOD PROGRAM DECISIONS. YOU CAN STACK OUR RESULTS UP AGAINST OTHER DISTRICTS, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR RESULTS ARE PRETTY IN LINE WITH OTHER DISTRICTS AROUND US, AND YET WE TAKE IN SIGNIFICANTLY LESS MONEY THAN OTHER DISTRICTS.
I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THIS IS WHAT IT WOULD BE IN 2027 IF WE PASS THE LEVY.
IF WE DO NOT PASS THE LEVY, WE WILL BE AT $0.45.
IT WILL ONLY HAVE THE CAPITAL LEVY AND WE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY THE LOWEST TAX TAKING IN THE LOWEST AMOUNT OF TAXES TO ANY SCHOOL DISTRICT IN OUR AREA. KEEP IN MIND, GREEN MOUNTAIN HAS 100.
AND I ACTUALLY TALKED TO THE SUPERINTENDENT THE OTHER NIGHT, 172 STUDENTS.
AND SO WE HAVE 13,000. AND THIS SLIDE REALLY HITS THAT HOME IF YOU CAN SEE IT.
THOSE NUMBERS THAT ARE CIRCLED THAT SAYS 22,000 FOR EVERGREEN VANCOUVER.
AND THEN WE'RE AT 13, AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THE TAX RATES FOR EACH ONE OF THOSE SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
SO WE ARE OUR TAX RATE IS ONLY LIKE GREEN MOUNTAIN ON THE VERY END.
THAT SHOWS 164, WHICH IS NOW 172, IS THE ONLY ONE WITH A LOWER TAX RATE THAN WE HAVE.
AND YET WE HAVE THE 3RD LARGEST STUDENT POPULATION.
IN TERMS OF WHAT WE NEED IN ORDER TO FUNCTION AND, AND DO WHAT WE DO FOR KIDS.
THIS WE WE TYPICALLY PROVIDE A SLIDE LIKE THIS.
WHAT I WILL SAY THAT I THINK IS THE BEST PART OF THIS IS THE QR CODE THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO PUT IN THEIR OWN INFORMATION AND FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT THE TAX IMPLICATIONS ARE FOR THEM. I, I APPLAUD OUR TEAM FOR PUTTING THAT TOGETHER AND MAKING SURE THAT OUR PEOPLE CAN, CAN ACTUALLY GET REAL INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT IT'S GOING TO COST BASED ON THEIR ASSESSED VALUE.
BUT YOU CAN SEE HERE THIS IS A THIS IS A SAMPLE OF THIS HOUSE GROWING BY 5% OVER THE NEXT 05,6 YEARS, AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT THE IMPACT WOULD BE WITH AN EP&O LEVY PASSED IN 2027.
YOU CAN SEE THAT MONTHLY IT WOULD BE $1 OR 104, 108, 111, 115, ASSUMING THAT THEY THEY GREW BY 3.5%.
THEN WE JUST LIKE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE WAY IN WHICH WE MAKE SURE WE'RE WE'RE BEING GOOD STEWARDS OF OUR COMMUNITY'S MONEY, AND WE HAVE LOTS OF WAYS TO DO IT. WE DO IT THROUGH SOME ADDITIONAL THINGS HERE IN BATTLE GROUND.
DEBBIE AND NOW LORI WILL JOIN OUR OUR AUDIT COMMITTEE, WHICH IS GREAT.
I LOVE THE FACT THAT.OH, AWESOME. AND I'LL BE DROPPING OFF. AND YOU'LL BE DROPPING OFF.
DEBBIE. YEAH. SO I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT WE'RE THEY'RE ABLE TO ASK YOU'RE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT SPECIFIC THINGS AND DO SPOT CHECKING AND AND JUST BE ABLE TO BRING INFORMATION FORWARD. OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE STATE AUDITS.
WE'VE HAD 14 YEARS OF CLEAN AUDITS. SO THAT'S QUITE THE THE TRACK RECORD.
[01:15:02]
DISTRICT 112. THEY WILL COME IN AND MICHELLE AND HER TEAM ASK FOR SPECIFIC THINGS TO BE LOOKED THROUGH AND ASK SPECIFIC QUESTIONS.HER TEAM DOES A NICE JOB OF DOING INTERNAL AUDITS, SO I APPRECIATE ALL OF THEIR WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE IN COMPLIANCE AND CREATING CHECKS AND BALANCES WITHIN OUR SYSTEM. SO THAT'S A GOOD THING.
OBVIOUSLY. THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU ASK IN BOARD MEETINGS, I THINK, HELP US.
AND THE FACT THAT ALL OF THIS INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON OUR DISTRICT WEBSITE.
AND THEN OSPI, OF COURSE, HAS A NUMBER OF DOCUMENTS THAT ANYBODY CAN PULL, LIKE OUR F 195, FOR INSTANCE. THAT'S A GREAT DOCUMENT THAT PEOPLE CAN LOOK AT.
AND WHAT DOES THAT DOCUMENT SHOW? IT'S ANYONE PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING.
IT IS PRETTY MUCH EVERY SINGLE REPORT. AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
YOU CAN ALSO ON OSPI WEBSITE SEE OUR FOUR YEAR PROJECTIONS.
THOSE ARE LOCATED THERE AS WELL. SO THERE'S LOTS OF INFORMATION.
SOME OF THOSE REPORTS ARE REALLY LENGTHY. AND SO WHAT I WOULD SAY IS IF ANYONE LOOKS THOSE UP AND HAS QUESTIONS, THE BEST THING FOR THEM TO DO IS TO REACH OUT TO MICHELLE SCOTT AND HER TEAM.
AND SHE'S ALWAYS HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT COME IN SPECIFIC QUESTIONS.
YEAH. SO THAT IS ON THE DISTRICT FINANCIAL WEBSITE.
AND THE, THE SLIDES FROM THAT PRESENTATION ARE THERE AS WELL.
SO YOU CAN SEE A VARIETY OF DOCUMENTS FOR, FOR ANYONE TO ANYONE CAN REVIEW THOSE.
AND THIS 1 WILL BE ON THERE ALSO. THE LEVY PRESENTATION WILL BE ON THE LEVY SITE IN PART.
YEAH. THE INFORMATION IS ORGANIZED IN DIFFERENT WAYS BUT OKAY.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHY IT WAS REALLY NICE THAT AS A BOARD, YOU DECIDED TO DO THIS BECAUSE I THINK WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS POINT PEOPLE BACK TO THIS CONVERSATION BECAUSE IT'S COMPLEX. DISTRICT FUNDING, SCHOOL DISTRICT FUNDING IS NOT A SIMPLE THING, AND IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE NUANCES BETWEEN THOSE THINGS.
BUT YEAH, IN PREPARATION FOR THIS EVEN, YOU KNOW, AS A BOARD MEMBER THE CONVERSATION AND THE INFORMATION IS SO MUCH MORE VALUABLE THAN JUST LOOKING AT A SLIDE SO YOU PEOPLE WON'T UNDERSTAND COMPLEXITY WITHOUT.
YEAH, YEAH, WITHOUT THE CONVERSATION BEHIND IT, IT'S JUST.
AND THE INFORMATION YOU'RE ADDING TO IT. YEAH.
IT'S OBVIOUSLY THE TIMELINES BALLOTS ARE GOING TO BE MAILED IN JANUARY THE 23RD AND ELECTION DAY IS THE 10TH, AND THEN THE CERTIFICATION IS FEBRUARY 20TH. AND THAT'S THAT'S IT.
BUT IF YOU HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, I CAN CERTAINLY TRY TO ANSWER THOSE.
YOU'VE KIND OF COVERED SOME OF IT, BUT ARE WE GOING TO PUT OUT A A LIST OR A PROGRAMS THAT POTENTIALLY MIGHT BE CUT OR JUST IMPACTED WITHOUT A LEVY? I KNOW IT SOMETIMES IS PERCEIVED AS THREATS AND IT'S NOT AT ALL IT'S INFORMATION.
SO OUR CONSTITUENTS ARE FAMILIES, YOU KNOW, MIGHT NEED TO KNOW POTENTIALLY.
YEAH. I THINK THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, LAURIE.
WHAT I CAN SAY IS PRETTY MUCH EVERY PROGRAM WILL BE IMPACTED, AND THE WAY IN WHICH WE DO BUSINESS WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT. I DID WORK JUST THIS AFTERNOON WITH SOME HELP FROM MY PARTNER HERE ON A SCENARIO THAT COMPARES WITH A LEVY AND WITHOUT. AND I'LL, I'LL PASS THIS OUT AND GIVE THIS TO YOU.
BUT IT TALKS ABOUT BIG IDEAS AND BIG BUCKETS AND TALKS ABOUT MORE REDUCTIONS.
[01:20:02]
I CAN'T PROMISE THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO EVEN GO BACK TO WHERE WE WERE LAST SPRING, BECAUSE OF THE RISING COSTS AND THE CONTINUED UNFUNDED MANDATES, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US PUT BACK AS MUCH OF IT AS WE CAN.AND IN FORMS WE MAY HAVE TO MAKE IMPORTANT DECISIONS.
FOR INSTANCE WE KNOW THAT WE HAD TO CUT ALL OF THE CROSSING GUARDS AT MIDDLE HIGH SCHOOL AND MANY OF OUR ELEMENTARY CROSSING GUARD AREAS. THERE ARE TWO AREAS, 2 CROSSWALKS THAT I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO PUT BACK BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THAT THEY'RE SAFE AT THIS POINT. I THINK THEY'RE A RISK.
AND I WOULD LOVE TO PUT THOSE BACK. DO I THINK THAT WE COULD PROBABLY LIVE WITHOUT CROSSING GUARDS AT MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL? I HOPE SO, I, I HOPE WE'VE DONE ENOUGH TO TRAIN OUR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO GET ACROSS THE STREET SAFELY, AND SO I WOULDN'T PRIORITIZE THOSE AS HIGH AS PUTTING BACK SOME OF THOSE ADDITIONAL PRIMARY SPOTS.
WE LOOKED AT AND MADE A LIST OF ADDITIONAL 20 MILLION.
WE COULDN'T FIND 20. WE GOT TO $12 MILLION IN CUTS.
AND THERE ARE THINGS ON THERE THAT ARE HUGE. I'M NOT SURE HOW WE SURVIVE WITHOUT THEM KINDS OF THINGS. AND AND EVEN BEYOND THAT, WE HAVEN'T PUT THINGS ON, LIKE SHUTTING A BUILDING OR FURLOUGH DAYS OR THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
BUT I THINK WE WOULD HAVE TO CONSIDER THOSE THINGS.
WE WOULD HAVE TO, BECAUSE WHAT THEY COULD DO IS SAVE US A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ANCILLARY COSTS.
THEY WON'T SAVE US IN CLASSROOM TEACHERS, BUT THEY WOULD SAVE US WITH OFFICE STAFF, NURSING STAFF.
THEY'D SAVE US WITH THOSE TYPES OF STAFFING AND THEY WOULD SAVE US WITH UTILITY COSTS.
SO MANY OF THOSE THINGS COULD SAVE US IN OTHER WAYS.
SO HOW WOULD YOU WHERE, WHERE, WHERE COULD THAT HAPPEN THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH ROOM TO MOVE KIDS FROM? WE WOULD HAVE TO MOVE. WE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE A PLACE WHERE WE HAVE ADDITIONAL SPACE AT MULTIPLE BUILDINGS, AND WE WOULD BASICALLY HAVE TO TAKE A SCHOOL AND SAY, OH, WE'RE GOING TO SEND PART OF YOUR KIDS TO THIS SCHOOL AND PART OF YOUR KIDS TO THIS SCHOOL, AND PART OF YOUR KIDS TO THIS SCHOOL.
THAT WOULD BE THE ONLY WAY THAT WE COULD DO THAT.
BUT WE WOULD BE DOING THAT RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE UNLESS YOU DIRECTED ME DIFFERENTLY, I WOULD NOT BE RECOMMENDING IF WE DON'T PASS THIS IN FEBRUARY TO GO BACK OUT IN APRIL, I JUST WOULD NOT BE DOING THAT FOR 2 REASONS.
AND SO WE WOULD WE WOULD GO AHEAD AND MAKE THE CUTS, AND THEN WE WOULD WAIT UNTIL NOVEMBER TO CONSIDER RUNNING A LEVEE AGAIN IF WE COULDN'T PASS IT IN FEBRUARY. AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE, BUT YOU CAN ONLY RUN A LEVEY TWICE IN A CALENDAR YEAR.
SO THAT WOULD BE OUR ONLY OPTION. WELL AND IT WOULD BE SOME DRAMATIC MEASURES.
BUT I DO THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO THE BOARD AND EVEN TO THE COMMUNITY TO SEE IF THE LEVEY DOESN'T PASS, WHAT THE BUDGET WOULD LOOK LIKE, WHAT THE IMPACTS.
JUST TO KIND OF BE REALISTIC I THINK THAT'D BE A FAIR THING.
I THINK WE'D ALL WANT TO SEE. I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU.
I DON'T THINK IT'S POSSIBLE FOR US TO EVEN HAVE IT DONE IN BY FEBRUARY, BECAUSE PLANNING AN ENTIRE BUDGET STARTS USUALLY IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY, AND DOESN'T FINISH UNTIL YOU APPROVE IT IN AUGUST.
SO WE CAN DO SOME PROJECTIONS, AND THAT'S PROBABLY THE BEST THAT WE CAN DO IN A SHORT TIMELINE.
RIGHT. WHAT'S SO NOT THIS NEXT MEETING, BUT THE SECOND MEETING IN JANUARY.
DO YOU THINK YOU'D BE ABLE TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S ROUGH ENOUGH THAT WE CAN KIND OF WRAP OUR HEADS AROUND IT? CERTAINLY CAN GET WITH MICHELLE SCOTT AND TRY AND TRY AND MAKE THAT HAPPEN AS BEST WE CAN.
WE DO HAVE A WORK SESSION FOR SIP. SO WOULD YOU BE OKAY WITH US DOING THAT DURING THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING? OH, ABSOLUTELY. I THINK. WE'RE DOING WHAT DURING THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING.
[01:25:04]
TO REVIEW SOME IMPLICATIONS OF NO LEVY. ABSOLUTELY.SURE. BUDGET IMPLICATIONS. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. YEAH.
THAT WOULD BE THE 2ND MEETING IN JANUARY, THE 26TH, THE 26TH.
AND THE BALLOTS GO OUT ON THE 23RD. THEY GO OUT 3 DAYS BEFORE BEFORE THAT FOR THAT MEETING.
WHAT WAS IT AGAIN? RIGHT HERE. RIGHT HERE. OKAY.
I THOUGHT THERE WAS SOMETHING AT THE BEGINNING OF JANUARY. OKAY, WELL, WE HAVE A BOARD MEETING AT THE BEGINNING OF JANUARY THAT REGARD TO THAT THAT CAME UP AROUND THE 10TH OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO WE HAVE A LEVY FORUM.
FORUM? YEAH. COMMUNITY FORUM. FORUM. THAT'S RIGHT.
JANUARY. THAT'S JANUARY 14TH AT BATTLE GROUND HIGH SCHOOL AT 6:00.
YEAH. IS THAT SORRY I'M LEARNING ALL THE RULES.
I DON'T WANT TO BREAK ANY PDC RULES. CAN BOARD MEMBERS BE AT THAT MEETING AS A JUST AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER, OF COURSE. YES YOU CAN. AND WE CAN ACTUALLY LIST IT AS A SPECIAL MEETING.
RIGHT, EVERYBODY. SPECIAL MEETING FOR THE 14TH.
YEAH, I THINK THAT SOUNDS GREAT. I MEAN, NOT TO PUSH THE TIMETABLE EVEN CLOSER, BUT DO YOU THINK YOU GUYS WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE SOMETHING CLOSE ENOUGH THAT WE CAN PRESENT? OR WHEN PEOPLE ASK WHAT SORT OF THINGS ARE GOING TO BE IMPACTED AT THAT MEETING, WE COULD CERTAINLY HAVE MORE OF A PROJECTION THAN WE DO NOW.
OKAY. YEAH, WE CERTAINLY WE CAN ONLY DO WHAT WE CAN.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T DO WHAT YOU CAN DO. YEAH.
I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU. IS THAT WHAT WE HAVE FOUND WHEN WE'VE MADE CUTS IS OFTENTIMES WHEN WE DIG INTO IT, BECAUSE SOME OF THEM ARE MANDATED, WE HAVE TO TRADE, WE HAVE TO WE CUT THIS PIECE AND THEN WE HAVE TO BACKFILL WITH SOMETHING ELSE.
AND SO IT'S HARD TO TELL WHAT WHEN WE'RE REALLY GOING TO GET TO THE AMOUNT THAT WE NEED.
IT'S LIKE THE SPECIAL EDUCATION DISCUSSION THAT WE JUST HAD.
I DON'T ALWAYS KNOW WHAT THAT TOTAL BILL IS GOING TO BE.
WELL, THAT'S BECAUSE WHEN WE BUILD A BUDGET, IT'S A PROJECTION.
AND WHEN IT REALLY COMES IN, MAYBE SOMETHING HAPPENED LIKE WE DIDN'T FILL ALL OF OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION POSITIONS OR OR WE WERE SHORT, WE HAD ADDITIONAL SUB DAYS THAT WE DIDN'T PLAN FOR.
AND SO THAT COST US MORE, COST US LESS. SO BUDGETING ISN'T LIKE JUST DOING YOUR HOME BUDGET WHERE YOU PRETTY MUCH KNOW WHAT YOUR COSTS ARE GOING TO BE. WE HAVE A LOT MORE SURPRISES IN A SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET.
AND SO SOMETIMES IT'S REALLY HARD WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO BACKFILL AND FIGURE OUT, IF I GET RID OF THAT, WHAT WHAT WILL THE IMPLICATIONS BE? SO IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE, LITTLE MORE FIGURING OUT.
RIGHT. JUST LIKE THAT QUESTION ABOUT WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE IF YOU CLOSED A BUILDING? HOW WOULD THAT SAVE YOU? WELL, IT ONLY SAVES YOU IN CERTAIN AREAS.
IN SOME AREAS, IT SOLVE THE WHOLE PROBLEM. YES.
SOME OF IT IS GOING TO INCREASE IN BUSSING COSTS OR, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING ELSE.
I MEAN, IT'S POTENTIAL. WE DON'T KNOW. YEAH, WE DON'T YET.
IT'S INFORMATION. YEAH, RIGHT. I THINK THE HOUSE THING, YOU KNOW, THE SLIDE THAT YOU HAD WITH HOW MUCH A HOUSE WOULD COST, I THINK AND HAVING THAT CODE IS GOING TO BE SUPER GOOD IF PEOPLE WILL.
YEAH, IF PEOPLE WILL USE THAT CALCULATOR. YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SEE RIGHT THERE WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT.
AND THAT'S OVER A YEAR. IS THAT RIGHT? OR IS THAT A MONTH, A MONTH? BUT WHAT I REALLY LIKED, IF YOU GO BACK ONE MORE SLIDE TO YOUR POINT, DEBBIE TO THE BIG HOUSE, THIS ONE, THIS ONE, IF YOU LOOK AT THE ACTUAL COST OF IT AND EXTRAPOLATE JUST THE LEVY, WE WERE ABLE TO CALCULATE THE ANNUAL COST DID NOT RISE TO THE DEGREE, THE SAME DEGREE AS ALL THE OTHER TAXES THAT YOU SEE ON, ON YOUR YOUR BILL.
SO I THINK THAT SPEAKS A LOT TO THIS SLIDE I THOUGHT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT JUST TO EXTRAPOLATE JUST THE EP&O LEVY FOR OUR DISTRICT BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL SAY, WELL, MY HOUSE VALUE WENT UP.
SO IF YOU'RE COLLECTING MORE NO, WE'RE NOT COLLECTING MORE.
[01:30:04]
WELL, THAT'S ANOTHER POINT THAT I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE I THOUGHT THE SAME WAY THAT AS MORE PEOPLE BUILD HOMES AND COME INTO OUR DISTRICT, THAT THAT SPREAD OUT AMONGST MORE PEOPLE. AND THAT'S WHY BECAUSE I KNOW I HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE ASK ME, IT WENT DOWN, YOU KNOW, WE ASKED FOR WHAT WAS IT, 168 OR SOMETHING, AND THEN IT DROPPED TO LIKE 142 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.AND THEY WERE LIKE, WELL, WHY? AND THEN THAT WAS THE EXPLANATION.
THAT REALLY MAKES A LOT MORE SENSE WHEN PEOPLE CAN WRAP THEIR BRAIN AROUND IT.
THE OTHER THING, TOO, IS THAT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS TO TALK TO THEIR THEIR LEGISLATORS AND IN OLYMPIA, BECAUSE THEY ARE JUST PASSING. I'M SEEING THIS EVERY DAY PASSING MORE AND MORE AND MORE TAXES, AND THIS IS NOT GOING TO THE SCHOOLS. I'M NOW BEING ON THE I'M GOING TO BE ON THE LEDGE COMMITTEE HERE SOON.
THE LEDGE REP. AND I'M REALLY STARTING TO FOLLOW THESE MORE AND MORE.
AND THERE ARE SO MANY LAWS RIGHT NOW COMING THROUGH THAT IF THE COMMUNITY, THEY NEED TO BE SPEAKING TO OLYMPIA BECAUSE THIS ISN'T COMING TO THE SCHOOLS, THIS IS GOING INTO THE POCKETS UP IN OLYMPIA.
AND SO YEAH, WE CAN'T THE SCHOOLS CAN'T BE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE OLYMPIA IS NOT REMEMBERING THE SCHOOLS FOR SOME.
I DON'T KNOW WHY EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN OPINIONS, BUT WE NEED TO BE IN THEIR EAR AND LETTING THEM KNOW AND REMINDING THEM IT'S VERY EASY WHEN YOU'RE UP THERE. YOU'RE AWAY FROM EVERYONE.
THEY NEED TO CONSTANTLY BE HEARING FROM THE COMMUNITY AND BATTLE GROUND RESIDENTS NEED TO SPEAK OUT AND LOUD ABOUT THAT THIS JUST NEEDS TO WE JUST WE JUST NEED TO BE SUPPORTED. THEY'RE COLLECTING DEFINITELY ENOUGH MONEY.
AND AND HE'S GOING TO BE BUILDING, GETTING 3 NEW FERRIES BUILT FOR $1 BILLION.
SO I'M HOPING THAT WE GET SOME OF THAT FOR OUR SCHOOL.
I DON'T THINK WE NEED A FERRY MORE THAN WE NEED OUR KIDS EDUCATED.
SO JUST MY OPINION. YEAH. THANK YOU. I'M I'M I'M A GOOD PERSON TO LOOK AT THE WEBSITE AND CALENDARS AND TRY TO FIND SOMETHING BECAUSE I NEVER CAN.
OKAY? SO IF I CAN FIND IT, IT'S SOMEPLACE WHERE ANYBODY CAN FIND IT.
OKAY. ALL RIGHT. I CAN'T FIND EXCEPT FOR IN ONE ENTRY, THIS THE JANUARY 14TH MEETING.
IT'S ALL. IT'S ON A CALENDAR OF EVENTS THAT THAT HAS A LITTLE LEAD ON IT THAT SAYS LEARN ABOUT.
I'M LOOKING FOR SOME REFERENCE TO THIS MEETING ON OCTOBER.
ON JANUARY 14TH. I'M NOT SEEING IT. SO WHERE IS IT? DO YOU SEE THIS? DO YOU WANT ME TO TAKE THIS OFF? NO. SURE. AND I'M SORRY FOR MY IGNORANCE, BUT LET'S JUST SEE HOW COME I DIDN'T FIND IT.
OKAY. GO ON. HERE. WELL, WE NEED THE PUBLIC TO FIND IT.
YEAH. I MEAN, I WOULD THOUGHT ON THE LEVY PAGE, IT WOULD BE LIKE THE FIRST THING ON THERE, MAYBE, OR SOMETHING, BUT IT'S NOT. BUT GO AHEAD, AMANDA, BUT YEAH, PULL UP THE WEBSITE THERE.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THE LEVY PAGE.
SO IT'S ON THE NEWSLETTER. IT'S IN THE NEWSLETTER AS WELL.
YES. WE'VE COMMUNICATED IT SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS.
SO WALK ME THROUGH IT BECAUSE I'M TRYING. I'M WHAT DO I I'M LOOKING AT THAT.
I'M LOOKING AT THE LEVY PAGE. MAYBE START AT THE HOME SCREEN AND NAVIGATE THAT WAY FOR HIM.
YEAH. THAT'S SET UP SO THAT YOU CAN JUMP TO DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE PAGE.
OKAY. SO IF THIS IS THE MAIN PAGE RIGHT I'M ON THE MAIN PAGE.
OKAY. OKAY. SO NOW I'VE GONE TO THAT PAGE RIGHT NOW WHERE DO I GO.
SCROLL DOWN AND GO. HOW CAN I LEARN MORE. SCROLL DOWN.
HOW CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LEVY? I'M LOOKING FOR IT.
HOLD ON. HOW CAN I LEARN MORE? I WANT TO JUMP TO.
HOW CAN I LEARN MORE? YEAH, IT'S WAY AT THE BOTTOM.
OKAY, SO DOES THE STATE FUND EDUCATION. CAN THE DISTRICT.
HOW CAN I SEE OUR TAX EXEMPTIONS? CAN I IN FACT HOW IS THE DISTRICT ABLE.
HOW OFTEN CAN THE DISTRICT. I'M REALLY LAZY. OKAY, SO I'M JUST ABOUT WORN OUT TRYING TO FIND IT.
SO WHERE IS I'M NOT STILL NOT SEEING IT ON THAT.
[01:35:04]
PAGE. I'M THERE. I WENT DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.I'M LOOKING AT 7 OR 8 BLUE LINES RIGHT AT THE VERY TOP OF THE PAGE.
I WENT THERE THE SECOND ONE FROM THE BOTTOM. HOW CAN I LEARN MORE? I WENT THERE THAT TAKES YOU RIGHT HERE. RIGHT.
I WENT THERE AND I LOOKED AT 8 LINES. HERE'S OUR PRESENTATION.
IT SAYS IN PLACE. HOW CAN I LEARN? OH, HOW CAN I LEARN MORE? THERE IT IS. THERE IT IS. IS THERE A WAY WE CAN MAKE THAT A BIG, BOLD BANNER AT THE TOP TO TRY TO ATTRACT PEOPLE TO COME? YEAH, WE WILL INCLUDE IT IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS.
SO THIS IS ONE OF SEVERAL. WE ALSO INCLUDED IN OUR WEEKLY COMMUNICATION TO PARENTS STAFF.
WE INCLUDED THE INFORMATION IN OUR MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER THAT GOES TO COMMUNITY.
SUBSCRIBERS WILL CONTINUE TO LET PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY AFTER THE BREAK.
ON THIS PAGE, CAN WE MAKE THAT A BIG BANNER? SEE, IF I'M NOT A PARENT OR STAFF AND I DON'T SUBSCRIBE TO YOUR NEWSLETTER, THEN I WOULD THINK WHAT I WOULD DO IS I WOULD GO TO YOUR WEBSITE TO TRY TO FIND IT.
AND IF I'M LAZY, LIKE SOME PEOPLE I KNOW PERSONALLY, I'M GOING TO GIVE UP AFTER A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, AND NOT NOT FIND IT. RIGHT. SO THERE IS AN INFORMATION ON THE CALENDAR THAT'S ON THE HOME PAGE, AND THERE WILL BE MORE AFTER THE BREAK AS WELL.
AND WE'VE ALSO SO THERE'S A CALENDAR ON THE HOME PAGE BECAUSE I DIDN'T FIND THAT.
BATTLE GROUND PUBLIC SCHOOLS ON SCHOOL CALENDAR.
SCHOOL WHERE DO YOU SEE CALENDAR. ON THE SIDE.
IT'S RIGHT ON THE SIDE. IT'S IF YOU JUST SCROLL DOWN ON THE HOME PAGE, IT SAYS JANUARY 14TH, 6 TO 7. LEARN ABOUT REPLACEMENT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND OPERATING LEVEL.
THERE IT IS. OKAY, I SEE JANUARY 14TH, 2026. OH, THERE IT IS.
OKAY. GOT IT, GOT IT. THAT'S NICE, THAT'S NICE.
AND IT'S EMBEDDED IN A FEW THINGS LIKE NEWS TO KNOW.
AND THEN THAT'S WHERE I FOUND THE THE 14TH, YOU SEE.
SO I WAS LOOKING FOR BULLETS. ALL RIGHT. I WAS LOOKING FOR, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING TO JUMP OUT AT ME.
IT NEVER ENTERED MY MIND TO SCROLL DOWN THIS PAGE, AND I WOULD ULTIMATELY FIND A LIST OF CALENDAR DATES, WHICH THERE IS, AND IT LOOKS VERY NICE IF I DO THAT.
WELL, THERE'D BE A LINK OR INFORMATION TO GUIDE PEOPLE TO THIS MEETING FOR INFORMATION, OR.
WE POST AFTER THE RECORDING OF EVERY MEETING ON THE WEBSITE AS WELL.
YES. BUT GIVING IT TO THEM TO TO TAKE THE TIME TO REVIEW IT IF.
WELL AND AGAIN WE'RE TALKING JANUARY 14TH, YOU KNOW, AND THEN I THINK JANUARY 21ST, I MIGHT THINK ABOUT REVIEWING THAT ONLINE, BUT I'VE ALREADY GOTTEN MY BALLOT, YOU KNOW, AND YOU KNOW, SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT VERY LITTLE TIME TO REVIEW A MEETING ON JANUARY 14TH.
IS THE JANUARY 14TH MEETING GOING TO GO ON THE READER BOARDS? THAT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD IF EACH SCHOOL THAT INFORMATION HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO SCHOOLS. NOW, I DON'T KNOW ALL OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT THEY NEED TO INCLUDE ON READER BOARDS AS WELL. BUT WE HAVE TOLD THEM THAT IT'S A PRIORITY.
AND I'M SORRY, AMANDA, I DON'T MEAN TO CHALLENGE YOUR GOOD WORK HERE. I'M JUST SAYING, YOU KNOW, FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE, LIKE, DUMB AS ROCKS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A THING, IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE HARD TO FIND THIS STUFF, SO. WELL, I WILL POINT TO YOUR TO THIS DOCUMENT THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE A COPY OF.
DID YOU GET ONE, DEBBIE? YES, I GOT OKAY. OKAY.
THIS IS GOING TO BE THE MAILER THAT WILL BE SENT OUT.
AS YOU KNOW, THE DISTRICTS ONLY ALLOWED TO SEND 1.
SO THIS IS IT. SO IT HAS SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE JUST WENT OVER ON THE SLIDE SO THAT WE THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE GOOD AS WELL. AS YOU CAN SEE THE BOTTOM, THE CALCULATOR FOR INDIVIDUAL TAXES IS ON THERE.
SO PEOPLE CAN GET IT RIGHT OFF HERE. AND THEN OF COURSE, I LOVE THE CHART THAT SHOWS WHERE WE ARE IN ENROLLMENT AND WHERE WE ARE IN, IN FUNDING AS COMPARED TO SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORS.
AND THEN JUST AN IDEA ABOUT WHAT SOME OF THE THINGS IT SUPPORTS.
SO YOU CAN SEE SOME PICTURES THERE AND GAPS. AND SO I THINK THIS IS WELL DONE.
I LIKE THE FACT THAT IT'S BIG AND IT'S NOT GOING TO IT'S GOING TO STICK OUT FROM AN ENVELOPE.
[01:40:01]
SO I THINK IT'S IT'S GOOD. HOPEFULLY PEOPLE WILL PUT IT ON THEIR REFRIGERATOR AND THAT'LL HELP THEM REMEMBER.DOES IT GET FOLDED IN WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO DO IT BIG AND USE EVERY SQUARE INCH? THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION ON HERE. YEAH. SO I THINK THEY DID A GREAT JOB.
SO YEAH. AND THAT'S REALLY ALL I HAD TO SHARE.
ANYTHING ELSE ANYBODY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. VERY INFORMATIVE OKAY.
I THINK FOR US AND FOR THE COMMUNITY. YEAH. THANK YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH I LEARNED A LOT FROM THIS.
FOREVER. HOLD YOUR PEACE. SO THAT MOVES US ON TO PUBLIC COMMENTS.
[4. Public Comment]
AND SO WE HAVE WE HAVE THE WHOLE THE WHOLE AUDITORIUM IS ALMOST 2 THIRDS OF THE AUDITORIUM IS SIGNED UP TO MAKE COMMENTS.THIS IS GOING TO BE A BIG NIGHT. CAN WE MAKE IT 100%? EUNICE I'M SORRY. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE JESSICA COLE COME FIRST.
JESSICA. CAN YOU. OH, I GOTTA READ SOME THINGS.
LET ME READ SOME STUFF. OH, MY GOODNESS. I'M SO EXCITED TO HEAR YOU GUYS.
PUBLIC COMMENTS. HERE'S WHAT I'VE GOT. THE PUBLIC WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT REGARDING THE LEVY PRESENTATION FOR RCW 4217 A555 COMMENTS MAY NOT PROMOTE OR OPPOSE ANY BALLOT PROPOSITION.
LET ME READ ONE OTHER COMMENT ABOUT THAT. THAT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE.
PLEASE NOTE THAT QUESTIONS MAY BE ANSWERED. HOLD ON.
LET ME READ THIS WHOLE STATEMENT IF WE'RE GOING TO ASK QUESTIONS.
THE QUESTIONS MAY BE ANSWERED AT A LATER MEETING WITH ALL STAFF AS AVAILABLE.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS MAY NOT PROMOTE OR OPPOSE ANY BALLOT PROPOSITION.
SO THIS IS BASED ON SOME NEW CLARIFICATION THAT WE'VE BEEN GIVEN THROUGH THE LEGAL TEAM.
AND SO MAYBE YOU COULD SHINE A LITTLE BIT MORE LIGHT ON THAT FOR US.
SUPERINTENDENT WHITTEN. YEAH. SO I KNOW THAT I'VE TRIED TO REACH OUT AND GIVE YOU SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THIS, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT IS ALLOWED AND WHAT ISN'T.
SO WE RECEIVED SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THROUGH A TRAINING AROUND PDC GUIDANCE AND IN WHEN WE RECEIVED IT, IT WAS SPECIFICALLY AROUND A SCHOOL DISTRICT WHO HAD A FINDING AGAINST THEM, AND THE FINDING WAS AROUND ALLOWING PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR AND AGAINST A BALLOT PROPOSITION.
THIS PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD IS CONSIDERED A USE OF DISTRICT RESOURCES, WHICH IS NOT ALLOWED.
AND TO USE THE RESOURCE OF BOARD MEMBERS TO PUT FORWARD FOR OR AGAINST STATEMENTS AROUND A BALLOT MEASURE OF ANY KIND. AND SO IT'S GUIDANCE THAT WE WERE UNAWARE OF UNTIL THIS TIME.
AND NOW THAT WE'RE AWARE OF IT, WE'VE REACHED OUT TO OUR LEGAL COUNSEL TO GET ADVICE ON IT BECAUSE IT SEEMS ODD TO US THAT WE WOULD BE STOPPING A PUBLIC COMMENT. BECAUSE OF COURSE WE ALL HAVE. FIRST, OUR PUBLIC HAS FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
SO WE'RE AT A PLACE WHERE WE NEED TO STOP ANY PRO OR CON COMMENTS RELATED TO A BALLOT MEASURE JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE WITH THE PUBLIC DISCLOSURE COMMISSION.
DID YOU SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, COFFEY WITH DIRECTORS COULD BE CONSIDERING AN EXTENSION.
WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL WITH THAT, RIGHT? YES. THE OTHER THING IS, TOO, IF IF BOARD MEMBERS ARE GOING TO HOLD A TIME WHERE THEY SAY, I AM A BOARD MEMBER, I AM DOING THIS AS A BOARD MEMBER.
THEY ESSENTIALLY ARE AN EXTENSION OF THE RESOURCES OF THE BATTLE GROUND PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
SO IT IT DOES IT DOES APPLY TO THINGS BESIDES JUST A BOARD MEETING.
[01:45:05]
BUT CERTAINLY TALKING ABOUT PRO OR SOMEONE MAKING IT CLEAR THAT THEY'RE FOR OR AGAINST ANSWERING QUESTIONS WOULD BE FINE.BUT TAKING STATEMENTS THAT ARE EITHER PRO OR AGAINST WOULD NOT.
AND COULD TAKE INFORMATION LIKE THAT TO THEM.
AND THE HAND THAT OUT. WELL, A DISTRICT MAILER WOULD PROBABLY BE FINE BECAUSE THAT'S INFORMATION THAT WE THAT WE PROVIDE TO EVERYBODY WHO'S IN THE DISTRICT, BUT ANYTHING BEYOND THAT? NO. I WOULD SAY THAT THIS FLIER WOULD BE SAFE, BUT ANYTHING BEYOND THAT, I WOULD SAY NO. ANYTHING ON THAT COULD BE DISCUSSED IS WHAT I'M ASKING.
SO ANY QUESTIONS THAT WOULD COME UP ABOUT THAT? YEAH. YEAH. SO THE FLIERS PROMOTING. NO, THE IT'S INFORMATIONAL.
IT'S INFORMATIONAL. OF COURSE THAT MAKES SENSE.
THAT MAKES SENSE. AND SO IF I, IF I HAVE COFFEY YOU KNOW, SIT DOWN AND HAVE COFFEE WITH THE BOARD MEMBERS, THEN I'M OBVIOUSLY. YEAH. IF YOU'RE, THAT'S THAT'S THE THING THAT'S MARGINALLY, YOU KNOW, WHERE ARE WE GOING? WELL THEN OKAY, SO THEN IF I RUN INTO SOMEBODY IN THE STORE AND THEY SAY, HEY, YOU'RE A BOARD MEMBER. COULD I ASK YOU THIS? WELL, OKAY, I'M A BOARD MEMBER. SO NOW I'M TALKING AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER TO SOMETHING.
SO SOME OF THESE THINGS SOMETIMES NEVER GET CHALLENGED, YOU KNOW? BUT. BUT WE'RE CAUTIONED. YES, WE'RE BEING CAUTIONED.
YEAH. TO TO THINK IN THESE TERMS, WHETHER IT'S EVER GOING TO GET CHALLENGED OR NOT.
YEAH. IS THE DIFFERENCE A DIFFERENT THING? THAT'S ALWAYS THE STRUGGLE, RIGHT? WE WANT TO BE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE, WHICH MEANS WE WANT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION.
AND I MEAN, WE ALL TOOK AN OATH TO DO THAT. SO WE ARE TRYING TO DO BOTH AT THE SAME TIME.
SO, YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS THINK THAT THE VERY BEST PLAN IS IF SOMEBODY IS ASKING QUESTIONS AND IT FEELS LIKE IT'S GOING 1 WAY OR THE OTHER TO DIRECT THEM TO OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM BECAUSE THEY'LL KNOW WHETHER THEY CAN ANSWER IT OR NOT OR WHETHER IT'S PDC COMPLIANT OR NOT.
I MEAN, IT'S IT'S THE SAFEST WAY TO GO WHEN PEOPLE ARE ASKING QUESTIONS THAT YOU FEEL UNSURE ABOUT.
THAT'S WHAT THAT'S WHAT OUR LAWYERS ARE HERE TO DO IS ADVISE US RIGHT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THAT. PRETTY CLEAR.
BE BE CAUTIOUS TO FIND THE GUARDRAILS A LITTLE BIT.
SO PLEASE FOLLOW THE PROCEDURES FOR CITIZENS COMMENTS BY STATING YOUR NAME, LIMITING YOUR TIME TO THREE MINUTES, AND REFRAINING FROM DISCUSSING CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS.
THE BOARD REQUIRES THAT ALL COMMENTS SPOKEN AT THE MEETING BE APPROPRIATE FOR A FAMILY AUDIENCE.
BOARD MEMBERS DO NOT NORMALLY RESPOND TO QUESTIONS OR PETITIONS DURING CITIZENS COMMENTS.
OKAY, SO JESSICA, LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING YOU HERE THIS EVENING.
SPEAK TO US. THANKS FOR COMING DOWN. HELLO, BOARD.
MY NAME IS JESSICA COLE. I REALLY APPRECIATE THE SLIDE PRESENTATION.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. I DID TALK TO A SPECIALIST AT THE PDC TODAY ABOUT THIS.
THANK YOU. YES. AND THEY SAID WHAT SHELLEY SAID, YOU KNOW, OR YOU SAID.
OR WHOEVER'S SAYING IT CAN'T SUPPORT OR OPPOSE ANYTHING ON THE BALLOT MEASURE.
SUPER FRUSTRATING. THEIR, THEIR WEBSITE IS HAS CONTRADICTORY INFORMATION.
NOBODY I KNOW HAS INTERPRETED IT THAT WAY. NO ONE I'VE EVER SPOKEN TO OBVIOUSLY LAWYER HAS, AND I APPRECIATE YOU FOLLOWING WHAT YOUR LAWYER SAYS, EVEN THOUGH I DISAGREE WITH THE INTERPRETATION.
AND THAT'S OBVIOUSLY NOT AN ISSUE THAT YOU GUYS CAN DO ANYTHING WITH.
I JUST WANT TO VOICE FRUSTRATION ON MY BEHALF AND OTHER FOLKS AND YES, THAT AND SOMEBODY SAID TONIGHT, YOU KNOW, 2 THINGS COULD BE TRUE AT THE SAME TIME.
AND IT WASN'T ACCESSIBLE TO A LOT OF PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAY HOLIDAYS, THE VARIOUS HOLIDAYS COMING UP THAT PEOPLE MAY CELEBRATE. BUT IT'S A BREAK. AND, YOU KNOW, TO ME, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE STAFF GETS A BREAK, YOU KNOW, AT BREAK TIME. AND I REALLY MISS OUR STUDENTS BEING HERE.
YOU ILLNESS IS LIKE A WHOLE DIFFERENT REASON WHY YOU'RE ABSENT.
[01:50:03]
I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY'RE ABSENT. AND THAT'S. I DON'T NEED TO, BUT, YOU KNOW, NOT HEARING THEIR VOICE.I REALLY APPRECIATE HEARING THEIR VOICE. AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE.
UNLESS I GO SIT DOWN AND SEE, I SKIP SOMETHING IN MY CHICKEN SCRATCH.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS, JESSICA.
COLE. SO, EUNICE, INGER MANSON. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE THIS EVENING.
GOOD. GOOD EVENING. BOARD. MY NAME IS EUNICE INGER MANSON.
MY PRONOUNS ARE SHE HER, AND I'M A RESIDENT AND A VOLUNTEER IN THIS DISTRICT.
CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME TO OUR 3 NEW DIRECTORS, DIRECTORS CHRIS GRUEL AND MARSHALL MERRITT.
CONGRATULATIONS TO DIRECTOR TERRY TATE ON YOUR NEW BOARD APPOINTMENT AS PRESIDENT.
THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU, DIRECTOR DEBBIE JOHNSON, FOR YOUR CONTINUING SERVICE.
I PROMISE ALL OF YOU THAT I WILL DO MY BEST TO SUPPORT YOU BY PROVIDING INPUT, LISTENING TO YOUR IDEAS AND COLLABORATING WITH YOU TO HELP THE DISTRICT. IN SOLVING THESE BIG PROBLEMS. TONIGHT I WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO TO YOU ABOUT STUDENT SAFETY FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF AN IMMIGRANT.
I MOVED TO THE US 50 YEARS AND FOUR DAYS AGO AT THE AGE OF 17.
MY FAMILY SAID GOODBYE TO OUR FRIENDS, RELATIVES AND BELOVED COUNTRY AND TO OUR WAY OF LIFE AND CROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN TO START A NEW LIFE HERE. AT THE TIME, I HAD NO IDEA WHAT DEEP TRAUMA MY COUNTRY, MY PEOPLE AND MY FAMILY LIVED THROUGH IN THE RECENT PAST AND HOW THOSE TRAUMATIC MEMORIES LIVE ON TO IMPACT HOW MY PEOPLE PERCEIVE THE WORLD. LIVE, LOVE AND MAKE DECISIONS AND HOW THEY EVEN HANDED THEM DOWN TO THE NEXT GENERATIONS, INCLUDING ME. LIVING THESE PAST 5 DECADES IN THIS COUNTRY, I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF MEETING IMMIGRANTS FROM SO MANY OTHER COUNTRIES, SOME OF WHOM HAVE KNOWN DEVASTATION, GRIEF AND TRAUMA UNTHINKABLE TO MOST OF US.
I SOMETIMES GET TO GIVE BACK BY EXTENDING WELCOME AND SUPPORT TO THEM AS THEY WERE LEARNING TO NAVIGATE THEIR NEW LIVES. AS I GET TO KNOW THEM, MY LIFE IS BEING ENRICHED AND DEEPENED IN MORE WAYS THAN I CAN SAY.
BY THEIR STORIES, BY THEIR RESILIENCE, THEIR HUMANITY, AS WELL AS THEIR WORK DURING THESE TURBULENT POLITICAL TIMES WHEN VULNERABLE PEOPLE GROUPS ARE BEING TARGETED FOR KIDNAPING, DETENTION AND DEPORTATION.
I ASK THAT YOU MAKE SURE THAT YOUR IMMIGRANT STUDENTS FEEL SAFE AND THRIVE WHILE THEY'RE AT SCHOOL, WHETHER IN PERSON OR ONLINE. THE WELL-BEING AND SAFETY OF THESE STUDENTS IS A PART OF OUR VISION AND MISSION AS A DISTRICT IN YOUR IT'S IN YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN, AND I HOPE OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY CAN EMBRACE IT AND LIVE IT.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOUNIS, YOU INSPIRE ME AND I'M GOING TO SAY THIS, OKAY? I THINK I'LL WAIT FOR YOU TO SIT DOWN. I'M LOOKING AT WHAT'S WRITTEN ON THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.
THANK YOU. AND AND IN RESPONSE, YOU KNOW, IT SAYS, GIVE ME YOUR TIRED, YOUR POOR.
YOUR HUDDLED MASSES YEARNING TO BE FREE. THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR WORDS.
JESSICA, DID YOU MAKE ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS YOU WANTED TO MAKE? OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO THEN WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON THE AGENDA AND I BELIEVE WE'RE DONE.
[5. Future Items]
[01:55:06]
FUTURE ITEMS. SO COFFEY WE'VE BEEN HAVING COFFEY.SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE COFFEY AGAIN. WE'RE GOING TO START IN JANUARY.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE COFFEE AT ALLAN. ERNIE'S ON.
WHAT'S THE DATE AGAIN? DEBBIE THE 14TH AT 10:30 A.M..
OKAY, SO NOW THE QUESTION IS, DOES ANYBODY HERE WANT TO TAKE A DIFFERENT DAY AT A DIFFERENT TIME, YOU KNOW, OR SHOULD WE CONTINUE WITH WEDNESDAYS, 10:30 A.M.? WE'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF A CONFLICT ON THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY. RIGHT.
I'M NOT LOOKING AT A CALENDAR. LET ME GET A CALENDAR IN FRONT OF ME. NO, THERE WASN'T A CONFLICT.
IT WAS OKAY. IT WAS JUST IF THERE HAD BEEN DISCUSSION ABOUT HAVING IT AT A DIFFERENT TIME, OKAY. SO OTHER PEOPLE COULD COME SOME. AND THEN WE'RE THINKING OF YOUR SCHEDULE.
THE WEDNESDAYS ARE 14, 21 AND 28. MOST DAYS AT SEVEN I'M AVAILABLE, SO HE'S AVAILABLE AT SEVEN.
IF ANYONE WANTS TO MEET I WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE AT SEVEN.
JUST SAYING. WELL, AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP WE HELP YOU BECAUSE IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO HAVE MORE THAN 2 THERE, WE NEED NO NO NO, NO. WE ALWAYS WILL. JUST HAVE TWO.
WE HAVE TWO. OKAY. FOR SURE. SO SHALL WE PLAN 14, 21 AND 28.
AND JUST BETWEEN US. NOMINATE MARSHALL TO BE AT ALL OF THEM.
YEAH. QUICK REMINDER THAT WE ARE STILL LOOKING TO SCHEDULE OUR STUDENT, OUR SCHOOL TOURS AND THEY'VE HISTORICALLY BEEN ON FRIDAYS, BUT THAT MAY CHANGE.
YES. SOME STABILITY IN THE COFFEY TALKS AS WELL, BECAUSE WE MAY END UP WITH WEDNESDAY BEING OUR DAY.
AND AT OUR LAST COFFEY TALK, IT WAS CANCELED BECAUSE THERE WAS NO POWER, NO ELECTRICITY.
SO I CALLED A COUPLE OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, SO IF YOU'RE THINKING YOU MIGHT WANT TO HAVE COFFEE WITH US, PLEASE BE, YOU KNOW THE WEATHER. YEAH. BE BE AWARE THAT WE MIGHT HAVE TO BE FLEXIBLE.
SO TENTATIVELY WE'LL JUST PLAN BECAUSE IT'S JUST COFFEY.
YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES I DON'T SHOW UP FOR COFFEY LIKE I SAY, I'M GOING TO. OKAY. SO IF YOU SO SO THE WE'RE GOING TO DO THE 14TH, THE 21ST AND THE 28TH WEDNESDAY AT 1030. OKAY.
NOW IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE NEED. WE TALKED ABOUT.
SO WE'VE GOT OUR 2 MEETINGS SCHEDULED. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT.
THERE IS A LEVY PRESENTATION THAT WE NEED TO REMIND EVERYONE OF.
06:00 ON THE 14TH AT BATTLE GROUND HIGH SCHOOL, 06:00 ON THE 14TH AT EVERYBODY THERE.
AND IS THAT IN THE LAIR? IT'S OR IT'S IN THE MEDIA CENTER.
MEDIA. OKAY. THAT WE'LL HAVE THE. THAT'S RIGHT.
AND WE'RE GOING TO SHOW THAT AS A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD SO THAT WE CAN ALL BE THERE, WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S LISTED. OKAY. SO WE GOT THREE MEETINGS NOW.
ALRIGHT. AND THEN THE TOUR, WHEN WILL WE KNOW ABOUT WHEN THE TOUR IS GOING TO HAPPEN.
I SHOULD HAVE BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT INFORMATION BY BY WHEN WE COME BACK FROM BREAK, SO.
PERFECT. THANK YOU. HOPEFULLY I JUST HAVE TO GET MY VACATIONS PLANNED.
SO. ANYTHING ELSE? NO. CAN I SPEAK TO THE COFFEY? JUST WHY. WHY WE'RE DOING THIS? I THINK ALL OF OUR GOALS IS THAT WE ARE TRANSPARENT WITH THE COMMUNITY.
WE'RE OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY. WE WANT WE WE WANT TO BE THERE.
AND SO THIS WAS KIND OF IMPLEMENTED. AND WE FEEL IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
WE'RE NOT READY TO ROLL THAT OUT YET, BUT WE WANT TO BE THERE.
BUT DO YOU WANT TO PUT YOUR NAME ON ANY OF THESE? 7:00 ANY MORNING AT 14.
I CAN DO THE 14. CHRIS ANY MORNING 7 A.M.. YEAH, I CAN DO.
I THINK I CAN DO. NO, I THINK NO, THAT'S THAT'S MY WORK DAY USUALLY STARTS AT 6 OR 7.
I'VE BEEN IN THERE AND I'VE SEEN YOU, SO I'M USUALLY SOMEWHERE AROUND SEVEN.
LET'S JUST FREAK THEM ALL OUT. LET'S PLAN 1 ON THE SET AT 7 A.M..
YOU WANT TO DO THE. LET'S DO I'M JUST GENERALLY AVAILABLE.
WELL, NO, NO, NO, I WILL NOT BE THERE. LET'S DO THE ONE ON THE 21ST AT 7 A.M.
AND THEN YEAH. OKAY. BECAUSE 21ST IS KIND OF A FUNNY DAY.
THERE'S SOME THINGS GOING ON. EVERYBODY'S COMING IN.
OKAY. THE 21ST WE'RE GOING TO DO IT AT 7 A.M.
COFFEE. ALRIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE FOLKS. NO OKAY.
SO SO THEN WE'RE GOING TO THIS MEETING WILL BE STANDING ADJOURNED.
AT 8:00 8:00. DING DING DING. RIGHT. OKAY. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.
[02:00:05]
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.