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Are there any families here that have firsthand..or second, or thirdhand :-) knowledge of the school situation over there? Background- I’m looking to relocate to the area. Leaning towards Camas or Washougal but don’t want to rule anything out. I’ve read that they have been unable to pass bonds for funding, that the schools are old and over-crowded. Does anyone think that that may just be a temporary glitch or is this a long term problem? Are there any schools within the BG district that seem to not be as poorly affected? Right now we are looking for 5+ acres w/a decent home. I see some in Battle Ground and Vancouver school districts but we have an elementary age child so many years left that schools are a consideration. He doesn’t need additional services such as an IEP if that matters. Thank you in advance!
I know teachers who teach over there who talk about ceilings falling in and toxic chemicals in the carpets and I don't know what all. This was at Prairie HS. When I went to job fairs at Vancouver School District 3 years ago I ran into a bunch of Battle Ground teachers who were looking to get out of the district. That was almost a running joke. They are just tired of being squeezed and I think there has been a lot of strife between teachers and admin in the past.
Honestly I don't really see things changing. The problem from a school supporter point of view is that the district is massive and runs way up into the mountains and covers a lot of rural area that is popular for people who want to get out and buy their cheap piece of land in the woods or in the country and who don't want to be bothered by taxes or services or anything. So the more upscale new suburban areas where new families are moving in are getting outvoted by a lot of older rural conservative folk who don't want to see their taxes increase. Districts like Camas and Ridgefield have a much higher percentage of suburban voters and lower percentages of older conservative rural voters and so have a built-in advantage when it comes to school bonds. Also remember here in WA a school bond measure requires a 60% supermajority to pass so it only takes a minority of voters to keep voting things down.
If you are new to the region also undertand that Battle Ground has a longstanding reputation of being something of a more downscale area where you might be more likely to find biker bars than say yoga studios. That isn't necessarily how things actually are, just the general reputation of the area. But combined with the repeated failure to ever pass school bonds and the lack of any sort of interesting downtown or city center area, it's kind of all just part of the package.
If it were me, the two districts that I would avoid are Battle Ground and La Center if you have young kids are looking at decades of public schooling in your future. The rest of them are all decent and I'd have no issues sending my kids to any other district in the county, although Camas is clearly the highest performing but that's mainly because it is the most wealthy.
Last edited by texasdiver; 11-09-2018 at 04:11 PM..
Yeah, we just sold our Battle Ground house. There are a few good schools in the district. Homeschooling and boundary exceptions are common. Southern schools with Vancouver addresses but BG district in particular are overcrowded. Some kids are sitting on the floor in classes. One school has kids walking in the rain to the cafeteria to pick up lunch, then back in the rain to desks in a classroom to eat.
Bullying is a big problem in the district. Especially by all the apostolic kids if you are not one yourself. Teachers/Staff don't have a handle on it/hands are tied.
Bonds/Levies are always a problem. Bonds in particular as they require a 60% approval and it keeps coming up around 52%. There's a lot of resentment from years ago when a superintendent took a golden parachute payment to get rid of them and buy out their contract. Majority don't seem to trust the district with money ever since. District is huge but as the southern burbs grow more in population with new blood not scarred by prior issues I imagine bonds will start passing. Just may take another 4 years or so. So the picture may get better...but not for 6-10 years imo.
If I had school age children I would not be buying in the district unless you plan to go private/home school. Not like there's a big price differential for Vancouver/Ridgefield/Washougal for better schools.
I know teachers who teach over there who talk about ceilings falling in and toxic chemicals in the carpets and I don't know what all. This was at Prairie HS. When I went to job fairs at Vancouver School District 3 years ago I ran into a bunch of Battle Ground teachers who were looking to get out of the district. That was almost a running joke. They are just tired of being squeezed and I think there has been a lot of strife between teachers and admin in the past.
Honestly I don't really see things changing. The problem from a school supporter point of view is that the district is massive and runs way up into the mountains and covers a lot of rural area that is popular for people who want to get out and buy their cheap piece of land in the woods or in the country and who don't want to be bothered by taxes or services or anything. So the more upscale new suburban areas where new families are moving in are getting outvoted by a lot of older rural conservative folk who don't want to see their taxes increase. Districts like Camas and Ridgefield have a much higher percentage of suburban voters and lower percentages of older conservative rural voters and so have a built-in advantage when it comes to school bonds. Also remember here in WA a school bond measure requires a 60% supermajority to pass so it only takes a minority of voters to keep voting things down.
If you are new to the region also undertand that Battle Ground has a longstanding reputation of being something of a more downscale area where you might be more likely to find biker bars than say yoga studios. That isn't necessarily how things actually are, just the general reputation of the area. But combined with the repeated failure to ever pass school bonds and the lack of any sort of interesting downtown or city center area, it's kind of all just part of the package.
If it were me, the two districts that I would avoid are Battle Ground and La Center if you have young kids are looking at decades of public schooling in your future. The rest of them are all decent and I'd have no issues sending my kids to any other district in the county, although Camas is clearly the highest performing but that's mainly because it is the most wealthy.
Thank you for laying it out for me like you did. Makes sense now. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain it to me. And considering I like yoga and we need a good school ....probably still a no, then on that district. It’s a shame. Hope for the kids and teachers out there they figure it out.
Yeah, we just sold our Battle Ground house. There are a few good schools in the district. Homeschooling and boundary exceptions are common. Southern schools with Vancouver addresses but BG district in particular are overcrowded. Some kids are sitting on the floor in classes. One school has kids walking in the rain to the cafeteria to pick up lunch, then back in the rain to desks in a classroom to eat.
Bullying is a big problem in the district. Especially by all the apostolic kids if you are not one yourself. Teachers/Staff don't have a handle on it/hands are tied.
Bonds/Levies are always a problem. Bonds in particular as they require a 60% approval and it keeps coming up around 52%. There's a lot of resentment from years ago when a superintendent took a golden parachute payment to get rid of them and buy out their contract. Majority don't seem to trust the district with money ever since. District is huge but as the southern burbs grow more in population with new blood not scarred by prior issues I imagine bonds will start passing. Just may take another 4 years or so. So the picture may get better...but not for 6-10 years imo.
If I had school age children I would not be buying in the district unless you plan to go private/home school. Not like there's a big price differential for Vancouver/Ridgefield/Washougal for better schools.
Yes, its a very popular area with Old Apostolic Lutherans who have built some big churches up there in Battle Ground and the farther out rural areas and who seem to have huge families. They can be very clannish and insular. Also penticostals and other conservative evangelical groups. I don't know how that is reflected in voting but it does make the area more conservative and if you are buying rural acreage chances are that is who you may have for neighbors.
[quote=texasdiver;53602271]Yes, its a very popular area with Old Apostolic Lutherans who have built some big churches up there in Battle Ground and the farther out rural areas and who seem to have huge families. They can be very clannish and insular. Also penticostals and other conservative evangelical groups. I don't know how that is reflected in voting but it does make the area more conservative and if you are buying rural acreage chances are that is who you may have for neighbors.[/QUOTE
Well I think we probably wouldn’t be a good fit. It’s going to be hard enough to move my little guy.
Yeah, we just sold our Battle Ground house. There are a few good schools in the district. Homeschooling and boundary exceptions are common. Southern schools with Vancouver addresses but BG district in particular are overcrowded. Some kids are sitting on the floor in classes. One school has kids walking in the rain to the cafeteria to pick up lunch, then back in the rain to desks in a classroom to eat.
Bullying is a big problem in the district. Especially by all the apostolic kids if you are not one yourself. Teachers/Staff don't have a handle on it/hands are tied.
Bonds/Levies are always a problem. Bonds in particular as they require a 60% approval and it keeps coming up around 52%. There's a lot of resentment from years ago when a superintendent took a golden parachute payment to get rid of them and buy out their contract. Majority don't seem to trust the district with money ever since. District is huge but as the southern burbs grow more in population with new blood not scarred by prior issues I imagine bonds will start passing. Just may take another 4 years or so. So the picture may get better...but not for 6-10 years imo.
If I had school age children I would not be buying in the district unless you plan to go private/home school. Not like there's a big price differential for Vancouver/Ridgefield/Washougal for better schools.
Thank you for the info! It was exactly what I was looking for. If someone said, well this and that are changing. Bonds should pass soon etc. but I can’t count on that and will not be homeschooling. We are trying to avoid private school as well. Thanks again and I hope you are enjoying your new spot!
Here are a few listings that I would assume you've seen but will post in case you haven't. I would just be considering Camas, Ridgefield and Brush Prairie/Hockinson if I were you in your shoes, which it sounds like I'm pretty close to being in.
Here are a few listings that I would assume you've seen but will post in case you haven't. I would just be considering Camas, Ridgefield and Brush Prairie/Hockinson if I were you in your shoes, which it sounds like I'm pretty close to being in.
In the most recent testing, CAM juniors and seniors on campus averaged 1382 on the SAT test compared to CAM students in Running Start who averaged 1214. The overall average on the test in Battle Ground Public Schools was 1145 and the state average was 1075. BGPS board drops CAM building purchase idea | Life | thereflector.com
Family and friends still use CAM as well as Hockinson (many co-workers kids attended there). Some do Prairie for Sports and Band. Nearly all do Running Start.
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