Author: David Lindner

I wrote this post to cast a hopeful vision for the kind of community I want Battle Ground to be—a place that still knows how to show up for its kids and for one another. Reflecting on our church’s move here and the sense of shared pride I saw right away, I explore why community doesn’t happen by accident and why supporting our local schools is part of loving our neighbors well. With the reality that 85–90% of children attend public schools, this post asks what kind of Christians—and what kind of town—we want to be known as: one defined by fear and withdrawal, or one marked by presence, generosity, and a shared commitment to the future.

I wrote this because I keep hearing that the solution to school funding problems is to “just cut administrators,” and that idea sounds reasonable until you actually look at the work they do. In this article, I explain why school administration is often invisible until it fails, how Battle Ground Public Schools already operates with fewer administrators doing more work, and why paying below the regional market makes it harder to attract and keep competent leadership. Using real data and a few everyday analogies, I make the case that cutting administrators doesn’t save money long-term—it shifts risk, increases burnout, and creates bigger, more expensive problems down the road.

I wrote this because there’s so much talk in Battle Ground about voting no on the school levy simply because taxes in Washington feel overwhelming—and that concern is valid. But what often gets missed is that repeated levy failures don’t keep costs down; they shift control away from the community. I explain how local control allows Battle Ground to keep levy rates lower than surrounding districts, why financial instability can lead to state oversight or even receivership, and how that can result in higher taxes set by someone else. This isn’t a scare tactic—it’s about understanding the long-term consequences of losing local voice, local choice, and local influence over schools that shape our community.