Battle Ground Public Schools Superintendent Shelly Whitten plans to bring a levy resolution to the school board at a meeting scheduled for Thursday, July 16 at 6 p.m. The resolution will recommend approximately $37 million in local funding, which, if approved by the board, will appear on ballots this November.
On the heels of the third levy failure in 14 months, the district has made substantial cuts to staffing and operational budgets for the 2026-2027 school year. According to district documentation, 137 staff positions have been eliminated across administrative, classified/support and certificated/teaching staff.
The impact of those cuts will include larger class sizes for grades 4-12, elimination of middle school sports and extracurricular activities, a reduction in six assistant principals and the elimination of the district's school resource officer contract with Battle Ground Police Department.
Whitten said, “When school starts, it will be shocking what is not in place.”
The district has held multiple listening sessions this past spring to gather community feedback on funding priorities moving forward. Community feedback from listening sessions held this spring consistently prioritized safety and security first, followed by academic support and student well-being. Student activities — including sports, athletics and enrichment — ranked last among the seven priority areas identified.
Many of those areas have been directly impacted by the planned budget cuts. Whitten's resolution, estimated at $1.79 per $1,000 of assessed value, would restore a portion of those cuts if approved by voters in November.
The practical impact
While student safety and security is a top community priority, budget cuts have reduced crossing guard staff across the district. According to Whitten, classrooms will be overcrowded, and students will have a harder time getting into some classes.
Student well-being is among Whitten's primary concerns. Nine counseling positions have been eliminated for 2026-27, though district communications director Amanda Richter confirmed every school will retain access to a counselor, with some splitting time between buildings.
Whitten described the reduction as “worrisome.” Richter said the district received a five-year federal grant in 2014-15 to support student mental health and wellness, with levy funding continuing that work after the grant ended, adding that “Responding to student mental health needs will continue to be a top priority in the district.”
Among the other cuts are school security and maintenance including groundskeeping, HVAC and painting staff.
Public perception and funding realities
Whitten acknowledged there are many reasons voters may reject a levy, including tax overburden, inflation, dissatisfaction with what’s going on in public schools, and being “property poor” due to tax rate increases.
The district has made $34 million in cuts over the past two years, with further reductions expected if a levy does not pass in November.
Whitten said the district manages its finances carefully. “We don't have mismanagement of funds, we are not top heavy... we run a lean ship already,” she said. “People are going to make their decision based on a lot of different reasons, and I respect the decisions that people make. I just want to make sure that they're making it with good information so that it's not based on what they saw on social media, or what they're believing that may or may not be true.”
If the next levy doesn’t pass, the plan is uncertain as “there are not a bunch of places left to cut,” said Whitten, except deeper cuts to sports, arts and music programs.
Opportunity for public feedback
The school board votes on the latest resolution Thursday, July 16 at 6 p.m. at the Lewisville Campus, Room C-26, 406 NW Fifth Ave., Battle Ground, WA. Board meetings are livestreamed at battlegroundps.org/page/board-meeting-information for anyone who is not able to attend in person.
The public is welcome to attend the meeting to provide feedback. Beyond that, Whitten welcomes public feedback at any time during the year, not just during levies. Residents are welcome to provide feedback directly via email to whitten.shelly@battlegroundps.org or Director of Communications, Amanda Richter at richter.amanda@battlegroundps.org.
