Community members, educators and local leaders gathered Saturday, April 18, at The Cedars Public House for the Battle Ground Education Foundation’s (BGEF) annual Spring Soirée, raising thousands of dollars to support students across Battle Ground Public Schools as it faces ongoing financial uncertainty.
The event featured a silent auction, live auction and paddle raise, with proceeds supporting programs that help cover student needs ranging from school supplies and activity fees to safety initiatives and family resources.
The total amount raised was not available as of press time.
The Battle Ground Education Foundation supports a range of initiatives, including its Kids in Need Fund, which helps cover medical, mental health and educational expenses, and its Backpack Program, which provides hundreds of students with school supplies each year. The foundation also contributes to the Family and Community Resource Center, supports school safety efforts and helps fund student participation in activities and advanced placement testing.
State Sen. Adrian Cortes, D-Battle Ground, delivered the keynote address, sharing his personal journey as a graduate of the district and current special education teacher at Camas High School. Cortes emphasized the long-standing challenges the district faces, including repeated levy failures.
“One time as a senior, I went out there on my time off and was there sign-waving on behalf of the district, ‘Please pass these levies,’ right?” he recalled. “I remember that growing up, and it’s something that hasn’t changed in the past 40 years. We can point to many reasons why that happens but it doesn’t change the fact that we are what we are, right?”
Cortes also shared a personal story about his path to higher education, describing how his sister’s determination to graduate from college inspired him to return to school. He ultimately became the first college graduate in his family, as his sister surprised him with the knowledge that she had left one college credit unearned.
“If a kid young Hispanic kid growing up in the Battle Ground School District could go from nothing to building resilience, to learning so much while going to all the Battle Ground schools and graduating at a fantastic high school, and then going on to the story I just shared, that is the significance of what we're doing today, right?” he said. “There are so many other students who have similar stories, or even more impressive stories, than the story I just shared.”
Cortes also spoke about the importance of investing in students’ futures through community support.
"When we meet here, as we do, and we're raising money to support our students, it's because we are investing in their story, in their life story,” he said. “We're investing in them, creating that journey."
The Battle Ground School District is preparing to examine over $20 million in cuts for the next school year by April 27, following three failed levy attempts. While a fourth levy could be placed on the ballot this year, impacts to the 2026-27 school year would still be expected. Any potential changes following the Washington state legislative session were not known as of press time.
During the keynote address, Cortes said he plans to convene a group of local and state education leaders in the coming months to examine long-term solutions.
"We're going to take a look at what's been happening for the past 40 years and we're going to look at how we could approach the situation in a more holistic way that hasn't ever been looked at before,” he told The Reflector following the Spring Soirée. “That's pretty much it's gonna be a series of conversations.”
Battle Ground Public Schools Superintendent Shelly Whitten highlighted the importance of maintaining school resource officers at Battle Ground and Prairie High Schools, a system BGEF helps financially support.
"They've made a huge difference for our students, specifically their impact is that they build a trusting relationship with our students on the front end, and, without a strong community, our students can't thrive,” she said. “As you know, community starts with the building blocks of a healthy school and so we need to make connections for our students … At a time when the district is facing some of the difficult budgetary decisions, the reduction of SROs is a serious concern on our hearts."
BGEF Executive Director Jennifer McCoy said the fundraiser will help sustain critical programs as district funding becomes more uncertain. McCoy said she was grateful for the strong community turnout, including support from city council members, school board directors, Clark County Chair Sue Marshall and state Rep. Stephanie McClintock.
"I'm just overwhelmed with the generosity that was in this room today, it just brought me to tears,” she said. “We're going to be able to expand some programs and meet some growing needs in the district, which is what we're here to do."
The event featured student speakers from both Battle Ground and Prairie High Schools, who shared how foundation support helped them pursue academic opportunities, including covering AP testing costs and preparing for higher education.
McCoy added that programs supported by the foundation are essential to student success.
"They're not negotiable,” she said. They may not be in the list of what the state funds for basic education, but the basic education things aren't effective without these support programs. We have to have them."
Following the Spring Soirée, The Reflector asked Cortes about partisan political mailers sent to Battle Ground Public Schools voters during at least two recent levy elections. The mailers, which opposed the district’s Education, Programs and Operations levy, claimed to be funded by the Washington state Republican Party and the Clark County Republican Party, though Jim Walsh, the state party chair, has denied any involvement. The Clark County Republican Party has not responded to repeated requests for comment as of press time.
“I've reached out to the Attorney General's office this past week and I've presented them with all the evidence that is in the public realm,” Cortes said. “They are going to be looking into (whether) there is any criminality that is at play or not.”
Community members can learn more about Battle Ground Education Foundation’s programs and their donation page at bgef.org.
