Superintendent Yvonne Dibley and Natalie Whistler, director of community services, told the board on Oct. 9 that the district won $1 million in summer-learning grant funds tied to House Bill 27 and used the award to restore and expand multiple summer programs.

"We were awarded a million dollars in grant funds this summer," Whistler said. The district said the funds arrived on a short timeline; the grant application was submitted May 12 and summer programming launched June 23.

Grant requirements directed that funded programs prioritize literacy and credit recovery and meet minimum-hours thresholds: 80 continuous hours per cohort for most programs and 30 hours for kindergarten-transition activities. The hour requirement forced the district to change plans: the kindergarten-transition program that had been planned at a smaller hour threshold could not be funded under the grant criteria until staff reworked offerings.

District leaders reported that high-school summer school served 674 students who earned 736 full credits; 26 students attended a senior session and 23 completed it and became eligible to graduate on time with their peers. Presenters said 64 percent of high-school attendees moved from “not on track” to “on track” for four-year graduation after attending summer school.

Whistler described new or expanded programs funded by the grant: a rising-sixth-grade program (four weeks, morning academics and afternoon enrichment), increased literacy supports in district care, student internships (31 high-school students employed in summer programs and two in a technology pilot), nursing and mental-health supports onsite, adaptive literacy software, and scholarships in the summer care program that served 496 elementary students (85 scholarship recipients).

Other summer offerings and results included a Title I elementary program that served 130 students across eight Title I elementary schools, an extended-school-year (ESY) program for 76 students with IEPs in which 100 percent of students maintained IEP/ESY goals, kindergarten exploration that reached 578 incoming students, and 18,411 meals served across summer programs. The district used partnerships with OMSI, Clackamas Women's Services, Lehi Library and Neighborhood Health Center for enrichment and services such as dental screenings and mental-health prevention through Stronger Oregon.

Dibley and Whistler emphasized program and operational challenges: short notice for grant turnaround, staffing needs, and the unpredictability of ongoing funding. "We cannot underscore the possibility that summer school may not happen next year," Dibley said, citing potential decreases in federal funding and the lack of consistent carryover. Staff said they will continue reporting to the Oregon Department of Education and will bring updates to the board as the funding picture clarifies.

Board members asked for teacher-narrative feedback on kindergarten-readiness gains and suggested future reporting on beginning-of-year assessment comparisons. Presenters said kindergarten-readiness assessment comparisons and qualitative teacher narratives will be available as fall benchmarking data are finalized.

No board action was required; the report was presented for information.