Lue Morgan (far right) performed with their twin sister, Emma, (second from left) and friends attending to show support

Monday, March 27, 2023-Woodland, WA-Lue Morgan, a senior at Woodland Public Schools’ alternative TEAM High School, organized an evening poetry slam as a way for them and their classmates to have an opportunity to share their creativity and to have their voices heard on the evening of Wednesday, March 1.

The poetry slam kicked off with Elizabeth “Liz” Vallaire, one of TEAM’s Math and Science teachers, reading a poem she had written herself about her own time in school. Students shared other poems, both some they had written and some they selected for how they felt, such as Talia Maxwell who delivered two: one she wrote herself and “Annabelle Le” written by Edgar Allen Poe. The audience was made up of students who wanted to support their classmates during their performances.

For Morgan, creative writing provides an outlet to discuss challenging ideas through expression, “Poetry has always inspired me because it’s a way to talk about hard topics, to express yourself, and to share what you have been through,” they said. “While English Language Arts isn’t actually my favorite subject, it has always come pretty easy to me.”

Jillian Domingo, TEAM’s English Language Arts, Social Studies, Art, and Computer Sciences teacher, knew Morgan would excel during their performance at the poetry slam, “Lue is one of our deep thinkers and deep feelers,” she said. “They spend their time putting together care packages for people experiencing challenges and they are prolific poetry-writers.”

Morgan first approached Domingo about putting on a poetry contest or some kind of poetry event last year. “This year, Lue came up with the idea of hosting a poetry slam and did all the planning and preparation to make it happen,” she said. “Lue shared a poem they wrote themselves which was deeply personal and they delivered it with moving emotion.”

TEAM High School offers an alternative approach to earning a diploma rather than attending traditional high school as students can configure their schedules around their lives. Additionally, TEAM lets students work at their own pace, so many, like Morgan, can graduate early. “I started attending TEAM because I wanted to graduate quickly,” they said. “It’s definitely an alternative school, and it’s been very accommodating to my needs, as well.”

Morgan appreciates the supportive nature of TEAM’s teachers and staff who address student needs with one-on-one attention. “I think TEAM’s staff are absolutely awesome,” they said. “The staff definitely helps us as we approach our own educational paths.” Currently a senior, Morgan plans to get a job after graduating in the next few months and will look at colleges in the area to see if any appeal to them.

About TEAM High School:

TEAM High School offers Woodland’s students a path to earning a high school diploma which accommodates individual students’ life circumstances including full-time work, family responsibilities, or simply wanting the chance to finish high school early and get a jumpstart on their future.

The staff of TEAM try to help people think of alternative high schools differently. “Many people hear ‘alternative school’ and think it’s a place for ‘troubled’ kids” said Vallaire. “We want to change that perception: we don’t have ‘typical’ students – we have high-achieving students; students with life responsibilities; and students whose life circumstances make TEAM’s approach to learning a better fit.”

“TEAM can be great for students because we meet them where they are academically and offer a myriad of supports and flexibility with classes to help them succeed,” said Jillian Domingo, who teaches English Language Arts, Social Studies, Art, and Computer Science at TEAM. “Since we have time to work with our students one-on-one, they share information about their work, hobbies, and home lives; I feel having that knowledge helps me be a better teacher by allowing me to adjust my instruction to fit their specific needs and learning styles.”

To learn more about TEAM High School, how to enroll, or how your organization can partner with Woodland Public Schools, visit the TEAM website at www.woodlandschools.org/team

Learn more about how Woodland Public Schools educates our students and serves the community by visiting our dedicated news webpage at www.woodlandschools.org/news/wsd
 

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Woodland High School

Monday, March 13, 2023-Woodland, WA-Woodland Public Schools’ Board of Directors identified $3,000,000 in cuts to educational programs and services that must be made if the community doesn’t approve the district’s replacement Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) levy on the ballot for April during a board workshop on Thursday, March 9, 2023. 

In addition to budget reductions to nearly every program district-wide, the failure to replace the existing levy will result in dozens of school employees losing their jobs. “The school district has a long tradition of maintaining fiscal responsibility with any levy funds we request from the community,” Superintendent Michael Green instructed the board. “There is no cut on the list that won’t substantially hurt student education in our community.”

Green pointed out that the lack of a replacement levy will have dire, severe, and direct effects on student learning district-wide, “These cuts will reduce staff and drastically hamper efforts to maintain the county-leading growth in student learning our district has enjoyed in recent years.”

Over the course of more than three hours, board members scrutinized every program to develop the following list of program reductions and eliminations that will happen for the 2023-24 school year if the community doesn’t pass the replacement levy on April 25:

Learning Reductions

• Halt expansion of Dual Language Program: The incredibly successful Dual Language Program, which permits students to develop bilingual skills in English and Spanish starting in kindergarten will not be able to expand to the middle school.
   
• Halt Speech Language Pathology Expansion: Despite the increasing enrollment of students with special needs, specifically in Woodland Public Schools, expansion of the Speech Language Pathology (SLP) support will be halted indefinitely.
   
• Pause Curriculum Cycle: Curricula will not be replaced or updated. This pause will remain in place indefinitely until funds can be appropriated to restart the curriculum cycle.
   
• Eliminate 1:1 technology for elementary school students (K-4): Elementary students will no longer have access to Chromebooks outside of specific classroom projects.
   
• Eliminate Summer School for K-8: Students outside of high school will no longer have the opportunity to recover lost credits. Students who fail classes will need to repeat classes and/or grade levels to recover lost credits.
   
• Eliminate Jump Start / Transitional Kindergarten: Introduced in 2022, Jump Start Kindergarten offered families the opportunity to have children transition into school attendance by beginning at age 4. The program will be eliminated without levy funding.
   
• Eliminate Translator Position: With no levy funding, the district can no longer maintain an on-site translator position. While translation services may be enlisted on an as-needed basis, Woodland’s growing multilingual population will no longer have access to a dedicated native speaker in the district.
   
• Eliminate Teaching Coaches at the Secondary Level: While studies have shown direct links between teacher coaching and improved student learning, the failure of the levy will leave the Board of Directors with no choice but to eliminate all teaching coaches at the secondary level.
   
• Eliminate Deans of Students at the Elementary Level: Deans of Students serve the vital roles of supporting positive student behavior reducing truancy, improve school security, and enabling principals to focus on improving student learning school-wide. Unfortunately, the lack of levy funding means this critical role will be eliminated at the district’s elementary schools.
   
• Reduce Assistant Superintendent position: The Assistant Superintendent currently provides critical support for teaching and learning, Career & Technical Education, district-wide teacher coaching, and a myriad of other vital roles. As a result of the lack of levy funding, the position will be eliminated.
   
• Eliminate school-based classified staffing: Classified staff including recess aides, library support, copy center assistants, and classroom support will be eliminated.
   
• Eliminate District-level Secretarial Staff: District support staff are responsible for managing family and community requests and needs. Without levy funding, district secretarial staff will be eliminated until additional funds can be appropriated.
   
• Pause introduction of AVID Learning System at high school: While high school teachers and staff have been trained and prepared to implement the innovative and cutting-edge AVID Learning System to improve student learning at the high school level, this introduction must be paused indefinitely without levy funding support.
   
• Reduce food service staff: Food service staff will be reduced in order to accommodate the lack of funding.
   
• Eliminate technology support staff: Technology repairs and installations will be delayed district-wide, impacting student learning in classrooms.
   
• Halt technology purchases: No new technology purchases will be made outside of replacement classroom technology. 
   
• Reduce communications support: While ongoing communication between the schools and the community was identified as a critical need, the Board of Directors must reduce communications support by half to manage the lack of levy funding. A substantial reduction in communications between the district, schools, parents, families, and the community must be made until funds can be appropriated. 

Facilities Reductions

• Halt Tier II/III School Safety and Security Improvements: Plans for security and safety improvements made district-wide will be halted. While Tier I security improvements have been made, the remainder of the district’s security improvement plan will be halted indefinitely.
   
• Eliminate Maintenance and Custodial Positions: Drastic cuts to maintenance and custodial staff will result in facilities maintenance prioritized to maintain minimal critical functions. Classroom cleaning will be delayed to weekly, at most, with teachers and other classified staff responsible for many custodial duties.
   
• Halt Roof Replacement at Woodland Middle School: The middle school roof is in a state of disrepair that will require the use of temporary tarps on weakened areas to prevent rainwater and the elements from damaging the internals of the facility.
   
• Halt Improvements to 5^th Street: Scheduled safety improvements, repairs and maintenance will be delayed indefinitely until funds are acquired.

Extracurricular Reductions

• Eliminate High School Athletic Teams: All non-Varsity/Junior Varsity athletics at the high school level will be eliminated.
   
• Eliminate Middle School Athletics: All organized middle school athletics will be eliminated with only intramural teams remaining.
   
• Eliminate transportation for athletics: Student athletes and teams will be responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from non-home games.
   
• Reduce Athletic Director position by 40%: Athletic Director position will be reduced to 0.6 FTE, resulting in less support provided for remaining athletics.
   
• Increase WCC/YCC fees to fully cover costs: The school district currently provides before and after school childcare at a substantially lower cost. Since this subsidy was funded by the local levy, all childcare support will be charged at actual costs and will require a substantial increase in fees for any families using these services.

Community Use Reductions 

• Charge Actual Cost for Community Use of Facilities: With significant cuts to district facilities maintenance staff, community use of facilities for free or at reduced costs will no longer be feasible. Community use fees will be increased dramatically for all community athletics and other uses including costs for utilities, custodial staffing, security, maintenance, repairs, and any additional fees.

Since the school’s budget year (September-August) does not run concurrent with the calendar year, the half-year of levy funding received in 2023 will be distributed throughout the 2023-2024 school year, resulting in the need for $3,000,000 in cuts instead of $5,000,000 for 2023-2024. If the replacement levy fails to pass in April, the board will need to cut an additional $3,000,000 in programs and services from the 2024-25 school year budget in addition to the cuts listed above to stay within the funding requirements for the district. 

“The Board understands that these are unprecedented times and many of our families are under significant economic stress, however, if the community chooses not to pass the replacement levy, our schools will not be able to continue to provide the same high-quality educational opportunities which have led to our district seeing the strongest student performance growth in both Clark and Cowlitz counties,” said Superintendent Green. “Woodland has a long tradition of supporting and valuing the education we provide our community’s children, and we hope the voters will continue that tradition this April.”

The special election for Woodland Public Schools’ replacement levy is April 25, with ballots mailed to registered voters beginning April 7. Community members can register to vote anytime up until April 18 online at: https://voter.votewa.gov/WhereToVote.aspx and in-person at elections offices until election day on April 25. 

Community members unable to register online can contact their respective counties' election offices:

Cowlitz County Election Office​: (360) 577-3005​

Clark County Election Office​: (564) 397-2345​

For more information about Woodland Public Schools’ replacement levy, visit the district’s website at: https://www.woodlandschools.org/levy or call the district office at (360) 841-2700.

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Construction Trades students build projects for the district including this student store requested by Yale Elementary School

Monday, March 6, 2023-Woodland, WA-Woodland students taking Construction Trades at the high school built a student store for Yale Elementary School as well as a shed that will be sold to raise funds for the SkillsUSA club. Students learn plumbing, how to wire electrical systems, frame buildings, and a variety of woodworking and tool skills.

Once students become familiar with the basics of tool operation and construction, they move on to more complicated tasks which empowers them to work on projects requested throughout the district. “I’ve greatly enjoyed the engineering classes I’ve taken over the years,” said Jose Valenzuela, a senior. “Outside of school, I already work in roofing, so I wanted to learn more construction skills so I can provide even more services.”

After graduating, Valenzuela plans to become an electrician. “I want to go to a trade school to learn even more and continue adding trades under my belt,” he said. “I have thought a lot about starting my own business, and probably will in the future.”

CTE classes offer students a way to explore skills they may have started learning at home. “I have always enjoyed building at home, cutting wood, and making new things,” said Anahy Juarez, a freshman. “I already had some skills from helping my dad, but CTE classes give me a way to learn a lot more.” Paula Mora, also a freshman, shared a similar experience to Juarez, “My dad is an electrician so I wanted to learn new skills; I really enjoy the hands-on elements like cutting wood and using tools.”

Some students take CTE courses just to experiment with new skills. “I thought taking Construction Trades would be fun and my dad was really excited for me,” said Raegen Hanson, a freshman. “Working with saws can be a bit challenging, but I really enjoy the process of measuring and making sure everything is in the right place; I might take other CTE classes in the future.”

Woodland offers a wide variety of CTE courses so can have the opportunity to learn lifeskills which will benefit them for the rest of their lives while also exploring potential career paths in physical trades including metalwork, woodwork, culinary arts, agriculture, auto mechanics, Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) and much more.

Assistant Superintendent Asha Riley oversees CTE for the school district and points to the nationwide need for trade-based professionals as just one of the many great reasons for students to explore CTE classes. “Many professionals in trade careers such as automotive repair, welding, plumbing, electricians, and many more are retiring with few new entrants in the fields,” she explained. “The country needs younger people to start in these fields which offer lucrative lifelong careers.”

In addition to helping students potentially find their lifelong careers, students not interested in pursuing careers in CTE fields can greatly benefit from the courses, too. “CTE classes provide students skills they’ll be able to use throughout their lives even if they don’t pursue a career in the field,” said Riley. “Whether it’s cooking meals, repairing your car, wiring a new outlet in your house, or growing your own vegetables, every student can benefit from taking CTE classes.”

Woodland’s CTE courses are among the specialized courses funded thanks to the Woodland community’s support of the Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) Levy. The current levy expires at the end of 2023 with the Replacement EP&O Levy on the ballot for the April 25 Special Election. Learn more about why the Replacement Levy funds are critical for Woodland schools at www.woodlandschools.org/levy.

Learn more about how Woodland Public Schools educates our students and serves the community by visiting our dedicated news webpage at www.woodlandschools.org/news/wsd 

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Local levies fund improvements to school safety and security as well facilities maintenance, upkeep, and repair

Monday, February 27, 2023-Woodland, WA-Woodland Public Schools’ Board of Directors approved a resolution to run a three-year Replacement Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) Levy to replace the district’s current levy which expires this year in a special election on Tuesday, April 25 after voters did not approve the replacement levy during the February 14 election.

After speaking with members of the community, district administrators and board members learned there was confusion in the community about the replacement levy, five key levy facts were identified community members needed to know:

• The replacement levy is not a new tax. The board of directors approved a levy to replace the existing levy that expires in 2023 with a three-year levy at a lower tax rate voters are currently paying: 
  • This year (2023): $2.10 per $1,000 of assessed property value 
  • Next year (2024): $1.91 per $1,000 of assessed property value
  • 2025: $1.91 per $1,000 of assessed property value
  • 2026: $1.91 per $1,000 of assessed property value
     
• The replacement levy collects less tax in 2024. The levy expiring in 2023 will collect $6,100,000 in taxes. The School Board of Directors chose to lower the amount collected in the first year (2024) of the replacement levy to $5,900,000 to provide some tax relief to the community. As a result, a homeowner whose house is valued at $250,000 will pay $525 in 2023 for the local levy ($2.10 x 250 = $525) but $478 in 2024, approximately 9% lower ($1.91 x 250 = $478). The tax amount increases in 2025 and 2026 to reflect project growth in the Woodland community, however the tax rate is projected to stay the same at $1.91 per $1,000 of assessed property value in all three years.
   
• Increases in assessed property values do not increase school levies. School districts can only collect the tax amount approved by voters. If assessed property values increase, the tax rate collect by districts decreases in direct proportion. For example, the estimated tax rate for 2023 when the expiring levy passed in 2020 was $2.36. However, since assessed property values increase, the actual rate was lowered to $2.10. 
   
• Levies are not bonds. Levies pay for educational programs and services. Bonds pay for new buildings. Woodland’s replacement levy fills the gap between what the Washington state legislature funds and what local schools actually need to provide high-quality educational programs.
   
• Without a replacement levy for its expiring levy, Woodland Public Schools must cut $3,000,000 in educational programs and services for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year. Nearly every school district in Washington State needs a locally-funded levy to provide the additional services schools need to provide high-quality educational opportunities for children.
  
  In Woodland, the local levy funds the following, all of which may be reduced in size or eliminated entirely without a replacement levy:
  
  
  • 76% of our staff who keep our technology infrastructure and tools working
  • 38% of our staff who keep floors vacuumed, windows washed, and lunchrooms clean
  • 43% of our staff who keep the lawns mowed, buildings painted, Heating Systems running, and facilities repaired.
  • 19% of all costs associated with keeping students nourished
  • 35% of district-level administrative and support staff
  • 72% of our Basic Ed Paraprofessional, health room, and Program Specialist Staff
  • 100% of extracurricular, arts, music and athletic programs
  • 61% of our school nurse
  • 78% of our substitute costs
  • 23% of our Yale School Staff
  • 11% of our Woodland Middle School Staff
  • 21% of our Woodland High School Staff
  • 100% of Programs like PASS at WHS, and the Family Community Resources Center.
  • 12% of our total Special Education expenditures 

Although the state increased the maximum amount school districts can collect from local levies to $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, Woodland Public Schools’ Board of Directors elected not to collect the maximum amount, opting instead to collect $1.91 in all three years the Replacement Levy will operate.

Washington State’s legislature continues to underfund most school districts. “Local communities must take on the role of supplying the funding their schools need for high-quality educational programs through local levies,” explained Superintendent Michael Green. “Without community support, we will have no choice but to take dire and draconian measures, cutting the budgets of our local schools dramatically to the point where our community’s children will have access to the barest minimum in educational opportunities.”

The special election for Woodland Public Schools’ replacement levy runs from April 7 to April 25.

Community members can register to vote online anytime up until April 17 at https://voter.votewa.gov/WhereToVote.aspx and in person at the County Elections office up until April 25, 2023

For more information about Woodland Public Schools’ replacement levy, visit the district’s website at: https://www.woodlandschools.org/levy or call the district office at (360) 841-2700.

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