Randall Schultz-Rathbun calls for Hockinson School District to be ‘transparent in answering our questions’

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and may not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com

State school spending is at record levels, Hockinson School District has not done a good job of explaining where money goes, and our taxes are high and getting higher. As a result, Hockinson voters need to know about the nuts and bolts of the current Hockinson School District levy request – and HSD needs to be transparent in answering our questions.

State funding has more than doubled in just over 10 years: $13.1B to $30.1B, far outstripping inflation. In 2023, 71 HSD administrators and teachers (53%) earned over $100K, while the median income in Hockinson was $88K for men, $63K for women.

HSD has not done a good job of explaining where money goes. In 2015, for example, HSD asked voters for $10M with which to secure HHES entrances, upgrade the kitchen and improve traffic flow. Voters approved the measure. Last April, HSD asked for $13M more, to secure the same entrances and fix the same traffic flow – but never explained how the $10M had been used, or why they needed $13M more for the same renovations.

HSD will have spent $80K in the past 12 months to hold special elections for bond and levy measures that could have gone on the November ballot at significantly less cost: $47K on two special elections in February and April, 2025, and $30-35K on this current election. Special elections cost us significantly more than general elections, with significantly lower voter turnout. Battle Ground and other school districts put levies on the November ballot, Hockinson can too. If HSD values fiscal responsibility, and wants community involvement, they need to place levy and bond measures on the November ballot.

Our taxes are high and getting higher. The legislature passed the biggest tax increases in history last year, and is proposing more for 2026, including significant property tax rate hikes (HB 1334, 1870). I’ve lived in my house since 1988. My property taxes are over 4 times what they were in 2006. In the last 25 years I’ve paid more in property tax than I did to buy the house. If this trend continues I will pay as much again in the next ten years.

The HSD website gives us general ideas about this levy request. But to enable voters to make an informed decision in the face of: record school funding, record high taxes, and lack of information regarding past uses of HSD funds.

HSD needs to give a detailed line-item accounting of where the last levy went, and of how they plan to use this one. Voters need specific information on salary breakdowns, after-school activity spending, rainy-day fund growth/decline, etc. And so far we haven’t gotten it.

Randall Schultz-Rathbun
Hockinson

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