Battle Ground Public Schools

Battle Ground Board seeks feedback on three boundary change options

The Battle Ground Public Schools Board of Directors is asking for the public to weigh in on three options that would alleviate overcrowding by changing primary and middle school boundaries in the district. The board anticipates making a decision about boundary changes at one of its regular meetings in January, and the boundary changes would take effect in fall 2019.

You are invited to take our online survey (survey closed Jan. 9) and provide input on proposed boundary change options.  Information about the boundary change options is below and will be presented at three community forums:

• 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5 at Laurin Middle School, 13601 NE 97th Ave., Vancouver
• 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12 at Maple Grove School, 610 SW Eaton Blvd.
• 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 9 at Daybreak campus, 1900 NW 20th Ave.

At the forums, district administrators will present the options and answer questions. Families and community members will be able to examine the options and then provide feedback via an online feedback survey. Families and patrons who cannot attend the public forums can review the options on the district website and provide feedback via an online feedback survey that is open through Jan. 9.

Watch the presentation (see larger maps below)

The board is considering three options suggested by the district Overcrowding Committee that comprised 29 parents, community members, and staff. The committee was tasked with developing ideas that would use existing resources to address overcrowding in the district’s southern schools. Committee members met over six weeks with a facilitator to review data, a community Thoughtexchange survey, tour facilities, and draft ideas. All ideas the committee suggested to the board were boundary changes.

The Board of Directors reviewed the ideas and updated data and discussed minor revisions at a work session before voting at its meeting on Monday night to move forward with three of the options: Southern Shift, MG K-4 Conversion, and N.E.W. Adjusted. Depending on the option, the schools impacted include Captain Strong Primary and Chief Umtuch Middle, Daybreak Primary and Middle, Glenwood Heights Primary and Laurin Middle, Maple Grove K-8, Pleasant Valley Primary and Middle, and Tukes Valley Primary and Middle schools.

Overcrowding

As of October 1, Glenwood (built for 484 students) had 810 students, while Laurin (built for 600) had 690 students. The Pleasant Valley campus (built for 993 students) had 1,090 students. An enrollment forecast conducted for the district by an economic development company projects Glenwood could increase by 380 to 445 students over the next 10 years, and Laurin by 380 to 440 students. The forecast projects that Pleasant Valley Primary could increase by 135 to 245 students, and Pleasant Valley Middle by 80 to 170 students.

Steps taken so far

The board has already taken several steps to address overcrowding, including closing overcrowded schools to boundary exceptions, installing additional portables, and running a bond measure to replace overcrowded schools with larger facilities. The measure failed to pass with the required supermajority. The board began to explore other options in March, and directed the district to create the Overcrowding Committee.