Battle Ground’s Glenwood Heights Primary and Laurin Middle School serve 1,500 students on a campus built to accommodate no more than 1,084.
That is the most extreme example, but it reflects the overcrowding that is common in the district’s schools. As officials ponder how to deal with the situation in the wake of failed bond measures for new construction, it is essential for the public to understand the drawbacks of having schools bursting at the seams.
Overcrowded schools negatively impact learning and have been linked to low test scores. They hamper the quality of instruction and reduce morale among teachers, students and administrators, creating an environment that is not conducive to education. Inadequate facilities also make it more difficult for a district to retain outstanding teachers, the ones who are best positioned to land a job in another district. In other words, overcrowded schools limit the ability of students to learn and develop the skills necessary to become productive members of society.
This should be obvious, yet it rests at the center of a conundrum facing Battle Ground Public Schools. After a $224.9 million bond failed in April with 52.1 percent support — a supermajority of 60 percent is required for bond measures — district officials have convened a 29-member Overcrowding Committee to find the best-case scenario in an impossible situation.
Four preliminary proposals include redrawing boundaries to adjust enrollment at various schools, but the extent of the problem means there are no easy solutions. Population in the district, particularly the southern end, is growing quickly; any quick fix will be a temporary one. A report commissioned by district officials suggests that enrollments at Glenwood and Laurin are expected to increase by 400 students at each school over the next decade.
Residents who paid attention to arguments surrounding the bond measure this year are aware of these facts. But part of a report from the Overcrowding Committee caught our eye: “The committee recognizes that there is a significant population in the district that is averse to increased taxes, or that may not benefit from school improvements.”
While we can understand people’s aversion to taxes, we must take issue with citizens who believe they will not benefit from school improvements. The fact is that we all benefit from school improvements, whether or not we have children attending the schools in question and whether or not we live within the boundary of a particular school. Adequate schools help produce a generation that will grow up to become inventors, doctors and leaders who will make our communities better for all of us.
A strong education provides the foundation for a citizen whose talents will ripple far beyond Battle Ground or the school they attend. Public education is an investment in the future of our county, our state and our nation, and it should not be viewed from the selfish perspective of personal dividends.
In the immediate future, Battle Ground schools have too many students, too few classrooms, and a pressing problem. Redrawing boundary lines will force many students to leave schools to which they have grown accustomed and will fail to provide a long-term solution.
We will leave it up to residents, administrators and parents in the Battle Ground School District to figure out how best to serve students, but there should be one thing that everybody can agree upon: Putting 1,500 students in a space designed for 1,000 is not acceptable.
