I have been an English teacher at Battle Ground High School since 2020, and before that, I was a student of Battle Ground Public Schools. I attended Yacolt Primary School, Amboy Middle School, and I graduated from Battle Ground High School in 2010. I am from this community, and one of the most meaningful pillars of my life is working within and giving back to the community that helped raise me.
Unfortunately, as deeply as I love this community and as committed as I am to it, our funding difficulties may make it impossible. When we failed the levy last year, I was laid off. When our district drew on its reserve funds to fill necessary positions, I was fortunate to regain my previous position. Many other committed, passionate, high-quality teachers were not so lucky, and were either laid off entirely or reassigned to positions that squander their passions and their greatest strengths. The reserve funds that allowed me to keep my job are now gone, and if we fail the levy again, I expect to be laid off and unable to return.
Our students deserve everything the levy will provide: safety, reasonable class sizes, extracurriculars, and a variety of programs supporting college and career readiness. Now that our reserve funds have been spent, another levy failure would devastate our district’s ability to provide our students with what they need and deserve.
In my work as an educator in Battle Ground, I have felt honored to play an important role in the care, growth, and development of our community’s children. I have felt deep gratitude for the respect and support I’ve received from parents and families. Please vote yes on the levy to ensure that I can continue this deeply important work and that our kids can receive the education they deserve.
Thank you,
Jordan Hamilton
Battle Ground
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