Brush Prairie resident Brian Hebert shares his thoughts on the upcoming Hockinson School District replacement levy
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com
How many of you reading have a Hockinson address? I don’t. My mailing address is Brush Prairie. I’m betting yours is too, or Vancouver, or Battle Ground.
Hockinson, as a city, legally ceased to exist when the Hockinson post office closed. The Hockinson community, however, has persisted – as a school district. Therefore, when we see all the signs that say our schools are the Heart of the Hockinson Community, it’s God’s honest truth.
If our community doesn’t pass this current replacement levy, our school budget will decrease by at least 10 percent. And no matter who is at the helm, that is a sinking ship.
If our Hockinson schools continue to sink, we will have to face the very real possibility that our students and our schools will be absorbed by a neighboring school district, at which time Hockinson as a district, and as a community will cease to exist. Think about that; the “Heart of Hockinson” will now be part of the vote from Battle Ground and/or Evergreen or whomever the state again decides will now control our small rural school district. I doubt we will get to vote on whether Battle Ground or Evergreen will take us in – it’ll probably come down to redistricting and those of us who decided that the Hockinson Community was the right place for us will now be tossed to whoever draws the “short straw.” And the real kicker is, at that point, we will likely start paying for a levy higher than what the Hockinson district is asking for now.
I don’t know about you, but really … this is not about if you think Washington takes our money. This isn’t about whether you think Hockinson is taking our money. This is about all of us having a community and a community that truly is the “Heart of Hockinson.”
I will be voting YES for the upcoming levy and you should take a hard look for yourself before you bet against our schools and students. There is an enormous amount of “WRONG” info out there. Don’t get caught up in that mess.
Brian Hebert
Brush Prairie
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