Superintendent Dr. Bernal told the board that North Wasco County SD 21 is one of 46 districts identified by the Oregon Department of Education to receive early-literacy high‑dosage tutoring funds. "North Wasco is 1 of the districts eligible to receive approximately $198,322 over 2 years," he said, outlining program requirements that funds must supplement, not supplant, and that districts participate in ODE’s high-dosage tutoring community of practice in January–March 2026.

Board presentations also examined the district’s recent summer programming. Katie Garrett, who oversaw the K–5 Summer RISE program, reported the program served 124 students with 27 staff over 18 days (108 hours). Garrett said the program focused on literacy and included multilingual and special-education services. "We had 124 students enrolled and we employed 27 staff members during the duration," she told the board.

Garrett reported attendance challenges: about two-thirds of students attended regularly enough to meet the program’s participation threshold. "Attendance for the program was...66%—66% of the students came 80% of the time," she said, and noted that inconsistent attendance makes measuring outcomes difficult. For students who participated consistently, Garrett reported positive short-term gains: "71% of the students increased their foundational skills" and "85% of the students increased their knowledge on the STEM assessments."

Administrators said the district has two years of funding for summer/tutoring work, which allows more lead time and planning. They are looking to hire a summer-program administrator by January to improve scheduling, community coordination and attendance strategies. Presenters listed several barriers to attendance, including competing community activities (soccer camps, swim lessons), harvest‑season work, and late notice on funding that compressed planning time.

What happens next: The board will continue planning implementation steps for the high-dosage tutoring grant and expects staff to return with staffing proposals and schedules for summer and tutoring programs in early 2026.