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North Clackamas used $1 million summer grant to expand programs, but warns funding may be uncertain
Summary
District staff said it received $1,000,000 in summer-learning grant funds that supported high-school summer school, a rising sixth-grade transition program and scholarships, serving hundreds of students; presenters warned inconsistent federal/state funding could jeopardize future programs.
North Clackamas officials told the Oct. 9 board meeting that the district was awarded $1,000,000 in summer-learning grant funds and used the money to expand a range of programs, including high-school summer school, rising sixth-grade transition programming, kindergarten exploration and expanded care with added mental-health and nursing supports.
Natalie Whistler, director of community service, described an accelerated planning timeline: the district applied for wait-listed funds on May 12 and launched programs on June 23. She said the award came with new program criteria and a threshold for hours of programming; "in order to be funded, a program had to offer 80 continuous hours of programming per cohort, 30 hours for kindergarten transition programs," which initially prevented funding for some kindergarten transition plans but allowed the district to restore other programs.
Staff reported measurable outcomes: high-school summer school served 674 students who earned 736 full credits and helped 64 percent of participating students move from "not on track" to "on track" to graduate in four years. The district said summer care served 496 elementary students across three locations and provided 85 scholarships, Title I summer school served 130 students, extended-school-year (ESY) served 76 students with IEPs (100 percent maintained IEP/ESY goals), and kindergarten exploration reached 578 students. The district said it delivered 18,411 meals during summer programs and coordinated services such as dental screenings and on-site mental-health therapists.
Superintendent Yvonne Dibley and Whistler both emphasized that while the summer programs produced positive results, the sustainability of services is uncertain because federal and state funding streams have been inconsistent: "We cannot underscore the possibility that summer school may not happen next year," Dibley said in the presentation. Staff said they are compiling final reports for the Oregon Department of Education and will update the board as funding guidance becomes available.
Board members asked about kindergarten-readiness signals from teachers; staff said beginning-of-year assessment data and teacher narratives will be available in the coming weeks and that they will present more detailed comparisons when ready.
The district did not vote on new summer programming at the meeting; presenters framed the report as informational and requested time to finish reporting and planning for 2026.
