Umatilla County leaders push CARE pilot to address chronic student absenteeism

Umatilla County Commissioner Cindy Timmons and other county officials testified in support of House Bill 2374, a pilot to establish the CARE program within the youth development division. Timmons told the Ways and Means Committee that persistent absenteeism is a major problem: she cited a figure of 35,000 Oregon students missing from classrooms since the pandemic and said 30–38 percent of students are chronically absent in some areas.

Timmons highlighted the CARE model's methods, which include family outreach, home visits, and multi-agency coordination. She described a component authored by a county circuit judge designed to handle cases that reach the citation or court phase: "The goal is not to cite, but this element is a tool school administrators can use to leverage students back into the classroom," she said, adding that many people who appear before Judge Daniel Hill lack a high-school education.

Andrea John (county representatives), Matt Scarf and other commissioners also spoke in support, framing CARE as a proven, replicable program with demonstrated success in Umatilla County and interest from neighboring counties.

Why this matters: Committee members heard that long-term absenteeism reduces academic and life outcomes and that CARE provides a family‑centered intervention intended to re-engage students before courts and juvenile systems become necessary.

Speakers

- Cindy Timmons — Umatilla County Commissioner - John Hillock — Wallowa (or Willau) County Commissioner (testimony referenced rural program needs) - Jenny Galloway — Umatilla County Care Program supervisor

Authorities

- type:"bill", name/description:"HB 2374 (CARE pilot)", referenced_by:["Cindy Timmons","Jenny Galloway"]

actions:[]

discussion_decision:{"discussion_points":["Speakers said 35,000 Oregon students are missing from classrooms since the pandemic","CARE model uses family outreach, home visits and school-community coordination","A judicial element exists to manage cases that proceed toward citation, intended as a lever to return students to school"],"directions":[],"decisions":[]}

clarifying_details:[{"category":"absenteeism_count","detail":"Speakers said 35,000 Oregon students are missing from classrooms since the pandemic","value":35000,"units":"students","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Cindy Timmons"},{"category":"program_scope","detail":"CARE serves identified children ages birth to 18 and provides whole family support including home visits and transportation, with an emphasis on reducing barriers to attendance","value":"not specified","units":"","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Jenny Galloway"}]

proper_names:[{"name":"CARE program","type":"program"},{"name":"Umatilla County","type":"jurisdiction"},{"name":"Judge Daniel Hill","type":"person"}]

community_relevance:{"geographies":["Umatilla County","neighboring counties"],"funding_sources":["state pilot funding via HB 2374"],"impact_groups":["students chronically absent","families with barriers to school attendance","school districts"]}

meeting_context:{"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":4,"duration_minutes":18,"items_count":2},"implementation_risk":"low","history":[{"date":"2004-01-01","note":"CARE model has been in operation in Umatilla County for approximately 20 years, per testimony."}]}

searchable_tags:["absenteeism","CARE program","education intervention","Umatilla County"]

provenance:{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"s=1822.13","local_start":0,"local_end":220,"evidence_excerpt":"Good evening, Chair Lieber, Co Chair Sanchez and committee members. My name is Cindy Timmons, Umatilla County Commissioner, speaking in support of House Bill 23 74... 35,000 Oregon students are missing from the classroom, 35000.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"s=6032.81","local_start":0,"local_end":220,"evidence_excerpt":"My name is Jenny Galloway. I'm the supervisor for the Umatilla County Care Program... The CARE program was implemented over 20 years ago in Umatilla County... CARE works with all identified children birth to 18.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}

salience:{"overall":0.6,"overall_justification":"Speakers presented quantitative absenteeism figures and a long-running local program seeking state piloting/expansion.","impact_scope":"local","impact_scope_justification":"Program would be piloted in counties and could scale statewide if funded.","attention_level":"medium","attention_level_justification":"Education and child-welfare stakeholders will pay attention; broader public interest moderate.","novelty":0.4,"novelty_justification":"CARE is an established local model seeking broader replication via a pilot.","timeliness_urgency":0.6,"timeliness_urgency_justification":"Concerns about lost students since the pandemic were described as ongoing and urgent.","budgetary_significance":0.25,"budgetary_significance_justification":"Pilot funding is relatively modest compared with major capital requests."} ,