Voters' Pamphlet For and Against Statements
Explanatory Statement
This proposition authorizes Hockinson School District to replace an expiring school programs and operations levy. The taxes collected by this levy will continue funding current school programs and operations that are not fully funded by the State, including extracurricular activities, athletics, technology, advanced courses, music, theater, nursing, transportation, special education and student safety. Further information is available: https://www.hocksd.org. Taxes collected by the proposed levy, together with State levy equalization money that is contingent upon passage of the levy, will provide approximately 10% of the District’s General Fund budget. Exemptions from taxes may be available, call Clark County Assessor (564)397-2391.
Statement For
Hockinson is a community that is stronger together. The HSD is the district that families move to for the best schools in Clark County; let's continue that tradition of excellence. The HSD Replacement Levy ensures our students will receive the quality education, extracurricular opportunities and services that define our community.
State and federal funds do not fully offset the costs associated with school services for students, such as counselors, nurses, recess aides, coaches, and custodians. Passing this levy provides for smaller class sizes, building maintenance, security, and transportation. Levy funds continue support for special education, social emotional learning, technology, advanced courses, and learning support programs. Additionally, extracurricular activities have a strong correlation with student engagement and academic success. Supporting this levy will provide access to music, athletics, theater, and a wide range of clubs and activities for our students. If this levy fails, many programs will be cut and our students won’t have the same opportunities as others who came before them.
At $1.89/$1,000 assessed value this 4-year replacement levy fills gaps while maintaining the second-lowest levy rate in Clark County. The HSD Board remained fiscally responsible to their promise of not raising your levied dollars even though they’re authorized to take more.
Voting Yes isn’t about anything else except providing our students what they deserve. Students need more than the bare minimum; they need our support to thrive with a high-quality education that prepares for a lifetime of success. Vote Yes!
For information visit forhockschools.com.
Brian Hebert - forhockschools@gmail.com
Ambra Peters
Sara Williams
Statement Against
Even if you support schools, there are good reasons to reject this 17 million dollar school levy. You should vote NO until the District proves it is financially responsible. District decisions have been questionable. For example, the 2018 teacher’s strike resulted in 25% increases in pay. The Board also set aside more than a million dollars, the union took it. Do you really believe the new Board will resist union demands? There’s more. The Covid related Esser fund money is unaccounted for. The Superintendent thinks the District should consider providing food and shelter to students. All of this in the face of uninspiring test scores. Finally, there is no guarantee the District will fund the identified programs you are voting for. Under Washington law the Board can set a different course after the vote.
Voting “yes” lets the State evade its Constitutional obligation to fund schools. Because the State pays on a monthly basis per student, when students leave, the District loses money. Fixed costs for “basic education” remain and State money won’t be enough. But your taxes won’t decline. You pay based on property value, not on the number of students. What do you expect happens to athletics, band, art, and school nurse when State ”basic education” money stops?
You have a right to have your money spent wisely. In an election the action should match the sales pitch. Will it? Moreover, what kind of District holds the band and school nurse hostage? One that deserves a NO vote.
Submitted by:
Richard Rylander
Bill Eling
Tom Goldman
Voters' Pamphlet Rebuttal Statement and Analysis
What is this Information?
The following is a detailed analysis of the Statement Against found in your Voters' Pamphlet. Rebuttal Statements in the Voters' Pamphlet are restricted to 75 words. In order to fully respond to the inaccuracies presented in the Statement Against, we chose to examine each sentence of the statement, line-by-line, and post them here to ensure our voters have the most accurate information regarding the levy.
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First we copied each sentence in the Statement Against and determined if it was accurate or inaccurate.
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We followed this up with our own research and formulated a response.
When we had questions, we submitted them to the Superintendent, members of Hockinson School Board and the Hockinson Education Association (HEA) for clarification.
If you have any questions of your own, please feel free to contact us at forhockschools@gmail.com. Thank you!
Rebuttal Statement as Found in the Voters' Pamphlet
HSD is more than fiscally responsible; it’s reduced its programs and personnel three consecutive years. In 2019-20, Hockinson collected the second-lowest funding per student in Clark County and spent $1,350 /student less than average. Hockinson has shown it can accomplish great things with less. Voting “Yes” is critical to continuing essential services and experiences for our students. The statement against contains inaccuracies. Visit www.forhockschools.com/rebuttal for additional facts about this levy.
Accurate Statement: “You should vote NO until the District proves it is financially responsible.”
Rebuttal: The HSD District has proven to be financially responsible. Therefore, you should feel confident that by voting yes, your levy dollars will be well-invested in our schools, our students, and our community.
Below is a snapshot of report that is published on WA OSPI website. As you can see it shows that Hockinson has been and will continue to be fiscally responsible and good stewards of tax payer dollars. Of HSD’s expenditures the per pupil cost associated with Certificated staff is $900 lower than the Clark County average. A similar trend is found with classified per pupil being almost $400 less per pupil.
On the revenue side you can see that Hockinson total revenue per pupil is less than all other schools in Clark County for the 2019-2020 school year, and the second lowest funds received from the State of WA. According to this chart below, HSD spent $1350 per pupil less than the average per pupil spend in Clark County in 2019-2020 school year.
Inaccurate Statement: “The Board also set aside more than a million dollars, the union took it.”
Rebuttal: We asked both the HSD Superintendent and the President of the HEA to respond to this statement.
According to HSD Superintendent, Steve Marshall: "Whether you believe teachers should have received a pay increase or not in 2018, it cannot be denied that Washington teachers did not receive a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for six years 2009-2015. As a result, teacher salaries did not keep pace with inflation and they essentially lost compensation.
So, when the state went off a statewide salary schedule and teachers bargained directly with their home districts, there was either a "giveaway" or a "correction" - depending on your perspective.
Either way, the HSD salary increases from 2017-18 to 2018-19 were not 25%, but they were significant: 14.5%. However, there was also a significant increase in state funding starting in 2018-19 as well."
According to HEA President, Megan Miles: "HEA and the district are still bargaining the current contract. The union has not "taken" any money from the district - we don't even have a current contract for this school year. Bankrupting the district is not and will never be in our educators' best interest. We went into this profession because we believe in public education. We work hard at maintaining a quality learning environment because we know that strong schools make for strong communities. Our goal is and has always been to do what is best for our students, our staff and our community as a whole. Our educators put in countless hours to make sure the students of our Hockinson community receive a quality education and the support they need in order to have successful learning experiences. HEA and the district bargain in good faith to honor the fiscally conservative values of the district while also attempting to maintain competitive salaries for educators that will allow the district to hire and retain high quality teachers to serve the students of Hockinson. Hockinson teachers continue to be some of the lowest paid educators in Clark County, particularly in relation to our neighboring districts."
Inaccurate Statement: “The Covid related Esser fund money is unaccounted for.”
Rebuttal: According to the HSD Levy Information webpage: "Hockinson School District received the second-to-lowest ESSER allocation in Clark County. Why? The federal government used a formula based on a district's percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch benefits. That formula, coupled with the HSD's smaller size, meant the HSD received $856,816. This allocation equated to $495 per student. Districts such as Evergreen and Vancouver received $2,745 and $3,361 per student, respectively.
Here is the overview of how ESSER I-III funds have been spent in the HSD:
$28,084 - Professional Development to prepare for the implementation of Remote Learning at curriculum rate
$67,275 - Enrollment Stabilization - Schools were allowed to apply ESSER funds toward enrollment stabilization. This means that a school district could allocate ESSER dollars to fill any revenue shortfall due to a drop in enrollment during the pandemic.
$20,888 - Remote Learning Supplies (hotspots and online education software)
$274,249 - Academic Recovery and Student Wellness (Summer School Programming and Library Services, Nursing and Counseling Services; Learning Loss Coordinator)
$466,320 - COVID Compliance (COVID Compliance Health & Safety Management Staff [custodial, secretarial, aide]) and personal protective equipment.
TOTAL: $856,816"
Please see the HSD Levy Information webpage that also addresses expenditures of the Esser funds and their accounting.
Inaccurate Statement: “The Superintendent thinks the District should consider providing food and shelter to students."
Rebuttal: We asked the HSD Superintendent to respond to this statement.
The HSD Superintendent was not clear as to the meaning of this claim, unless it is referring to the free lunches currently being provided to the students while at school. When asked, Superintendent Steve Marshall indicated that HSD schools and the HSD School Board are committed to supporting student success by complying with laws such as House Bill 1660, which reduces or waives fees for low-income students, and the McKinney-Vento Act, which relates to the educational rights of homeless students. Marshall also said that the Hockinson School District has provided free school meals to all students by participating in the USDA waiver program and promoting the P-EBT program to low-income students and families for the past two years. He added that all of these programs have been implemented in an effort to "level the playing field" for students who might otherwise lack the resources to fully participate in school activities or academic offerings.
Here's what we found as a Citizens group: Yes, HSD students are currently provided with meals while at school. No school funds or levy funds are used for the meals. It is a USDA program that school admins proactively applied for and secured for our students and families, especially those who are in need. According to the Department of Agriculture, "The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) allows USDA the ability to issue nationwide waivers to further increase flexibilities. FNS has issued numerous nationwide waivers to make it as easy as possible for children to receive these meals. As a result of these waivers, schools and other sponsors are creatively feeding kids by delivering meals on bus routes, allowing parents to pick up a weeks’ worth of meals at a time, and entering into public private partnerships that have provided meals to kids in rural areas. For more information, visit www.fns.usda.gov/coronavirus for a current list of approved waivers." Click here to view the USDA - School Meals webpage
According to a news article, USDA extending universal free lunch through 2022 school year, written in April of 2021: “Schools nationwide will be allowed to serve meals through USDA’s National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option (SSO), which is typically only available during the summer months. This option maintains the nutrition standards of the standard school meal programs – including a strong emphasis on providing fruits and vegetables, fluid milk, whole grains, and sensible calorie levels, while allowing schools to serve free meals to all children.” You can read the news full article here.
Inaccurate Statement: “All of this in the face of uninspiring test scores."
Rebuttal: Hockinson School District has steadily seen an increase in test scores from 2017-2019. Per the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, district-wide English, Language Arts scores increased from 60.5% to 69.1%. Math scores increased from 48.5% to 56.6% in the same time frame. You can view the full Washington State Report Card here.
Since 2015, six HHS graduates have earned appointments to US Military Academies, which have some of the most competitive admission standards in the country. Click here to read more.
Hockinson Heights Elementary School was recognized by the Center for Educational Effectiveness as an "outlier" school in the State of Washington based on academic and student engagement indicators over a 3‐to‐5 year period. Click here to read more.
Hockinson Heights Elementary School and Hockinson Middle School were both recognized for the academic growth of students as measured on the 2019 Smarter Balanced Assessment, the last year the test was administered in our state. Click here to read more.
According to the Hockinson High School 2022 profile found on Public School Review.com, HHS is in the top 30% of all schools in the state of Washington and ranks among the top 10% of public schools in Washington for reading proficiency.
Quick Stats (2022) image borrowed from https://www.publicschoolreview.com/hockinson-high-school-profile (accessed 1/21/2022)
Inaccurate Statement: “Finally, there is no guarantee the District will fund the identified programs you are voting for.”
Rebuttal: The taxes collected by this levy will continue funding current school programs and operations that are not fully funded by the State, including, but not limited to, special education, nurses, extracurricular activities, athletics, technology, advanced courses, music, theater, nursing, transportation, and student safety. The HSD Board can choose how to use the funds in a fiscally responsible manner. For further information and specifics to the resolution, click here.
Inaccurate Statement: “Voting “yes” lets the State evade its Constitutional obligation to fund schools.”
Rebuttal: The HSD and the Hockinson community at large does not control the State funding that is applied to the school district. This basic school funding is provided by decisions made from the McCleary decision and requires changes to be made at the State level to improve the obligations of school funding.
Accurate Statement: “Because the State pays on a monthly basis per student, when students leave, the District loses money."
Rebuttal: This is a true statement. Unfortunately, the HSD has experienced reduced State funding due to student body decreases. This significantly impacts financial stability within the school district and budgetary planning.
Accurate Statement: “Fixed costs for “basic education” remain and State money won’t be enough.”
Rebuttal: This is also a true statement. The State only provides funding for what they define as a ‘basic education.’ This 'basic education' does not include full funding for special education, nurses, extracurricular activities, athletics, technology, advanced courses, music, theater, nursing, transportation, student safety, etc.
The chart below was borrowed from the HSD Levy Information webpage. As you can see, HSD currently employs 1.9 nurses (almost two salaries). According to the State's definition of a 'basic education,' based on the number of students in the district, we only need 0.3 of a person to make sure our kids' health needs are cared for at school. How does that work? We can't have a fraction of a person - but we can get a fraction of a person's time. Meaning, ultimately, HSD - without levy funding - may have to share one nurse with another school district. This would also be true for psychologists, security and tech support.
Accurate/Inaccurate Statement: “But your taxes won’t decline. You pay based on property value, not on the number of students."
Rebuttal: This could be a partially true statement. Yes, you pay based on property value, not on the number of students.
However, while the replacement levy being asked for is slightly higher than the previous one, at $1.89/$1000 assessed property value, the chances that you will actually pay $1.89/$1000 is fairly slim. That rate was calculated based on your property value in November of 2021. In fact, if property values continue to rise, the rate you pay will most likely go down, as the HSD annual asking amount stays the same. See our Levy - FAQ page for a more lengthy explanation.
Good Question: “What do you expect happens to athletics, band, art, and school nurse when State ”basic education” money stops?”
Rebuttal: It’s unclear how these programs will be covered because they’re not specifically highlighted in basic funding outlined by the McCleary decision. It is likely that these programs will cease to exist until funding can be allocated, or will become exclusively a "pay to play" funding model costing each student hundreds of dollars per activity per season.
According to HSD Levy Information webpage, the levy provides approximately 11% of the district’s budget. An annual loss of $4 million in local funding would require the district to make cuts to student programs and services that could result in:
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Larger class sizes—staff reductions & furloughs
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Increased time on buses & fewer routes
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Loss of music, art, theater & academic extracurricular funding
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Outdated textbooks & instructional materials
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Limited technology
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Fewer support staff—less assistance for technology, recess, school offices, custodial, grounds & more
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Elimination of programs & fewer class choices
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Fewer activities & sports with higher fees
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Reduction in social emotional supports
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Reduced supply & building budgets
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Deferred building maintenance
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Cuts from general education to reallocate funds for state-mandated
programs such as special education.
Closing Statement: “You have a right to have your money spent wisely. In an election the action should match the sales pitch. Will it? Moreover, what kind of District holds the band and school nurse hostage?”
Rebuttal: It has been shown that the HSD Board has been fiscally responsible with their ask of the property tax payers. Please review the information above. Moreover, the levy funding will specifically ensure that band and school nurses continue to be a priority within the extracurricular activities and positions at the HSD. It’s actually the State that places restrictions on these activities and school positions by not allocating sufficient funding as defined in their ‘basic education.’
