Battle Ground Public Schools placing replacement EP&O levy on ballot

Funding supports crucial services in district

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Battle Ground school district voters will be asked to approve a replacement levy that supports important programs and services in local schools.

The Battle Ground Public Schools (BGPS) Board of Directors voted unanimously on a resolution to place a replacement educational programs and operations (EP&O) levy on the Feb. 11, 2025, special election ballot during its Nov. 25 meeting.

If voters approve the levy, it would replace the expiring EP&O levy, which ends in December 2025. The replacement levy would begin in 2026 and end after 2029. If approved voters would pay an estimated $1.95 per $1,000 of assessed property value for each year of collection. In 2021, voters approved an EP&O levy at a rate of $1.99 per $1,000 of assessed property value, but that levy began at $1.97 in its first year.

Educational programs and operations levies fill the gap between what the school district receives from state funding and what it actually costs to educate students, the district said in a news release. Currently, the estimated difference between state funding and the annual cost for the district is $40.8 million.

“People need to understand that levies are a fundamental part of school funding in the state of Washington, especially when we’re talking this kind of levy,” BGPS Superintendent Denny Waters said, adding that, according to BGPS research, 97% of school districts in the state have an EP&O levy. “... The ones that don’t are usually because they’re either really small or they have special circumstances, like they’re a part of a Native American [sovereign nation], so they get funding elsewhere, or because they failed on a levy and they’re struggling through.”

If approved, the replacement levy would fund student safety, teachers and support staff, class sizes, curriculum, nursing, mental health support, special education, busing, sports, the arts and more, the release stated.

Every school receives EP&O funding, and if the levy were not to pass, every student and staff member would feel the ripple effect, Waters and deputy superintendent Shelly Whitten said.

“There would be a significant impact on this, and we made $6.2 million of cuts last year because of the loss of the pandemic relief funds,” Waters said. “... And I would tell you that $6 million was hard, and there were ripple effects all over the district, and if you were to talk to people, they would say, ‘Yeah, we lost this and we lost this and we lost this.’ If we don’t pass this levy, we’re looking at between $35 and $40 million worth of cuts. Yeah, the impact would be significant.”

Whitten, a BGPS student in the 1980s, said that not passing a levy the first time is one thing, but in the 1980s the district had a double levy failure. Locally, Woodland most recently went through a double levy failure, but voters approved an EP&O levy renewal earlier this year.

The levy represents roughly 13% of the district’s operating budget, the release stated. The district cannot collect more than the amount that voters approve. Property value increases do not generate more revenue for the district, the release added.



If approved, the replacement levy would collect the following amounts:

• $38.30 million in 2026
• $40.40 million in 2027
• $42.60 million in 2028
• $44.98 million in 2029

Battle Ground Public Schools currently has about $40.8 million in services and programs that are not covered by state or federal funding, including areas of basic education, special education, mental health support, busing, sports and more.

In addition, operating costs have increased, Waters said. The district’s insurance costs — including liability, property, equipment and other types — have collectively risen 84% in just five years. As well, since 2019, utilities have increased 60% while supplies spiked 68%. The district stated that state funds, adjusted for inflation, now provide less per student than it did in 2018.

The school district will host a number of public presentations about the EP&O levy beginning Jan. 6. To see the complete list of presentations, or for more information on the levy, visit battlegroundps.org/page/educa tional-levy.

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Look for a story on how EP&O levies are different from bonds and the recently passed capital levy in next week’s edition of the Reflector.