Legislation to provide $30 million to school districts to use toward summer learning programs passed during the recent short session and earlier this month was signed by the governor. Although House Bill 4082’s passage provided positive education news from a statewide perspective, the odds of any of that money going to the Philomath School District is pretty much nil.
“We learned pretty quickly that the $30 million wasn’t going to be designed to cover every district in the state,” Superintendent of Schools Susan Halliday said. “There were priorities set through a formula of districts and charter schools and then ESDs (education service districts).”
The formula ranked the state’s school districts with the top 72 currently eligible to apply. If one of those districts chooses not to apply or seeks less than allowable funding, then the Oregon Department of Education would continue down the priority list until all of the money is fully allocated.
Out of 281 school districts, Philomath was prioritized at No. 232.
“The nice part of it says something good is happening (at Philomath),” Halliday said. “But the other part of it says we’re pretty low on the totem pole …we’re going to have to go through a whole lot of districts and charter schools before they get to us for consideration of summer funding. So that part of it was a little disappointing.”
It’s uncertain if the Linn Benton Lincoln ESD will be eligible to apply.
On a more positive note, Halliday learned Friday morning that Philomath will receive an Early Literacy Success Initiative grant to fund the local school district’s plans for a four-week LitCamp, which will be offered to students in grades K-3.
That money became available through last year’s passage of House Bill 3198, which provided $140 million to the initiative to improve literacy in young children through three new grant programs.
The Litcamp program returns after not happening last year with no funding available at all for summer learning.
“It would be nice to re-energize that both from the standpoint of literacy but also readiness for school,” Halliday said. “It really makes a difference in some of those arenas.”
In addition, Halliday said the district will also offer the Extended School Year program for students that meet requirements related to special education needs.
