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Preston County seeks funding to expand alternative learning center and student mental-health staffing
Summary
Administrators described the Roseberg Opportunity Center's early-year enrollment and urged lawmakers for funding to expand elementary services and boost mental-health staffing, estimating a conservative incremental need for staff and operating costs.
Preston County administrators and teachers outlined the county's new Roseberg Opportunity Center and argued for more state support to expand services and meet mental-health needs.
The Roseberg Opportunity Center currently serves grades 6–12 and enrolls about 38–42 students, administrators said. Staff explained the center handles academic remediation, social-emotional needs and attendance challenges and that several positions there are partially grant-funded.
"We don't just take behaviors," said Mrs. Kelly, who works at the center. "We have kids with social-emotional problems, academic issues and attendance issues — elementary students have these needs, too." Administrators asked lawmakers to consider funding for at least one additional teacher, an instructional aide and more mental-health staff to replicate effective interventions at the elementary level.
School psychologists and special-education staff said district capacity is limited: the county has one contract school psychologist for evaluations and little capacity to provide sustained mental-health supports in all schools. Board members asked for a conservative, itemized estimate of the additional staffing and operating cost so legislators can pursue funding in committee and in the budget process.
Lawmakers said they would try to shepherd requests through committees but emphasized funding constraints; they asked the board to submit a minimal, conservative cost package to begin the conversation.
