Growth key issue in Battle Ground schools race

Battle Ground Public Schools District 4 candidates

Mavis Nickels

• Age: 76.

• Work: Blueberry farmer; retired math and science teacher, Battle Ground Public Schools, 1976-1999; after retirement was adjunct professor at Concordia University, Portland.

• Volunteer: Current board member, Battle Ground Public Schools; Clark County Community Action; Battle Ground Mentor Collaborative.

• Education: Oklahoma State University, three years; bachelor of science education, Phillips University, Enid, Okla.; two years at University of Oklahoma School of Medicine; two years at OHSU in biochemistry. Was going for a Ph.D. but had four teens at home.

• Key issues: Having the facilities and resources to provide full-day kindergarten, reduce class size and deal with the growth in the district.

• Online: https://www.facebook.com/mavis.nickels

Dick Rylander

• Age: 64.

• Work: Former adjunct professor, School of Business, University of Portland; 42 years in pharmaceutical/biotech industry; startup experience, former business owner.

• Volunteer: Chair, Clark County Clean Water Commission; mentor at Oregon Transitional Research and Development Institute; board of directors, Meadow Glade Neighborhood Association; ran for Clark County freeholder.

• Education: Bachelor’s degrees in marketing, finance from University of California at Sacramento; Master’s of Business Administration, City University of Seattle.

• Key issues: Dismantling, repealing Common Core Standards; reducing use of high stakes testing such as Smarter Balanced Assessments; expanding CTE (vocational training) program; growth in the district.

• Online: https://rylander4bgsd.wordpress.com

Ben Kapelka

• Age: 46.

• Work: Special education assistant, Battle Ground Public Schools; served in the Marines.

• Volunteer: Coach, Glenwood Little League; assistant coach, Clark County Youth Football.

• Education: Associate degree, criminal justice generalist, Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Mich.

• Website: None.

• Key issues: Growth and infrastructure, improving technology, increasing graduation rates.

Providing school infrastructure for burgeoning growth in Battle Ground Public Schools is a key issue for three candidates vying to represent District 4 in the Aug. 4 primary election.

The top two candidates will advance to the general election in November. School board directors are nonpartisan and serve a four-year term. District 4 is in the southeast corner of the school district, which by geography the county’s largest.

Approximately 6,930 housing units are projected to be built in the Battle Ground district in the next 20 years. Hundreds of homes are either under construction or soon to be constructed. Volunteers comprising the district’s Facilities Improvement Team are studying the district’s future facilities needs in relation to projected growth.

Incumbent Mavis Nickels, a retired math and science teacher, has lived in the district since 1972 and said she’s seen “tremendous changes that have changed the personality of the community. Facilities is a huge issue. I want the community involvement in all these decisions we’re making.”

Candidate Ben Kapelka, a special education assistant in district schools, lives with his family near Northeast 152nd Avenue where hundreds of houses are being built. His children attend Glenwood Primary and Lauren Middle School, which would bear the brunt of that enrollment growth.

“One of the things that really scares me is the more than 800 houses going in that would feed into Glenwood and Lauren schools,” he said. “Those schools are on septic systems, so you can’t add more (portables). There’s no way we can handle it. We have some very antiquated buildings.” He added, “It’s a very conservative district. Nobody wants to pay more taxes.”

Candidate Dick Rylander, retired after 42 years in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry, said he’s met with the district’s finance director to learn more about current bonds.

“Voters are going to need (to approve) a capital bond in order to build additional facilities,” Rylander said. “The last capital budget, the state picked up about 45 percent of the bond. If you use that as a measure, the district would have to consume 55 percent of the bond on top of existing bonds.” He added, “I think wages have been fairly flat for some time. Even if the district shows that they need the additional classroom space, would the voters support a bond?”

Other issues

Kapelka said he’d like to see the district improve technology and increase its on-time graduation rate, which is 79.6 percent. In comparison, Vancouver Public Schools’ rate is 73.1 percent, while Evergreen Public Schools’ rate is 80.3.

Nickels said other key issues are having the facilities and resources to provide full-day kindergarten and reduce class size.

Rylander’s other key issues are “dismantling and repealing Common Core Standards, reduction in use of high stakes testing such as Smarter Balanced Assessments and increasing opportunities for vocational education.”

Although the Common Core Standards and Smarter Balanced Assessments are mandated from the state level and cannot be repealed by a school board, Rylander said he believes board members need to look at the bigger picture and join together to affect change in bigger, statewide issues.

“In a grander scheme of things, a school board needs to look at the large picture, not just the day to day. If a school board believes a mandated policy needs to be looked at, its members can stand up and connect with other boards around the states and form a coalition to go to the Legislature, and say here’s what we need to be doing and here’s why.”