A challenging financial picture is in front of school districts across Washington state, including some in Clark County that are facing deficits in the tens of millions of dollars.

Both Evergreen and Vancouver Public Schools have lost funding from Washington state as enrollment dipped in recent years. Enrollment isn’t a problem in Battle Ground Public Schools, but in February residents there rejected an education levy for a third time in a row, leaving a $20 million hole in the district’s budget.

All Washington state public school districts are facing increased materials and operating costs, as well as a growing number of requirements from the state that they must pay for on their own, according to school officials.

“Many districts are struggling,” Battle Ground Public Schools Superintendent Shelly Whitten said during a public Wednesday night listening session about that district’s budget.

As Washington lawmakers wrapped up their 2026 legislative session on Thursday, they did not offer much help. Their proposed supplemental operating budget cuts education funding by approximately $80 million, according to a statement from State Superintendent Chris Reykdal.

“This budget makes harmful reductions to programs that directly serve students,” Reykdal wrote, “reductions that are likely to impact students identified as low-income the most.”

At their Wednesday listening session, Battle Ground educators asked the community for advice about what to cut. Approximately 70 community members at the Prairie High School library gathered in small groups with sticky notes to talk about what programs they wanted to preserve and what they thought could go.

The district is also using an online tool called “Balancing Act” to ask constituents to essentially try their hand at balancing the school’s budget themselves. Before they provide feedback, they must propose cuts that would close the district’s $20 million gap while also continuing to support programs schools they are required to fund by the state and federal government, such as special education and meals.

“It allows us to see — people that take [the online tool] all the way through — what things they value, what things they feel like rise to the top,” Whitten said.

South of Battle Ground, Clark County’s two largest school districts are grappling with funding decisions of their own.

The Evergreen Public Schools board is considering reductions to close a $12-$13 million budget gap for the 2026-27 school year, with additional multimillion cuts anticipated in the next two years.

Vancouver Public Schools is facing a $24 million deficit. The district recently decided to close the Vancouver Flex Academy, an alternative high school that offered smaller classes and additional support for its students. In December, VPS had to borrow money from the Clark County Treasurer’s office after it was unable to get an advance from the state, according to the Columbian.

“Given the underfunding of basic education, school districts everywhere are struggling to provide for the needs of their students,” said Logan Noel-Endres, director of strategic advocacy with the Washington State School Directors’ Association, an organization that supports local school board members.

While state support for public schools has decreased, Noel-Endres said, inflation has pushed up costs for things like insurance and school supplies, creating “a dramatic gap.”

Districts in Clark County are now outlining their anticipated cuts in order to meet a May 15 statutory deadline if they plan to reduce credentialed teachers, Whitten said.

Cuts to schools affect communities in ways that go beyond education, according to Terry Dotson, who was also at the Battle Ground Public Schools meeting on Wednesday night. Dotson is the chair of Battle Ground Citizens for Better Schools. He has volunteered with school levy campaigns for more than a decade, including with the most recent attempt in February, which he said, failed by just 535 votes.

“You need good schools to attract good people and good commerce and good retail within your community,” Dotson said.

Despite three recent failed levy attempts, he said Battle Ground’s school board could put forward a new funding request as soon as November.

In the meantime, staff at the district are listening to feedback through March 18 about what community members want to fund. Those priorities will be presented to the board at its March 23 meeting.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/13/washington-clark-county-school-districts-budget-cuts/