Phoenix-Talent board approves $4.5M Student Investment Account grant agreement for 2025–27

The Phoenix-Talent School District board voted to approve the 2025–27 Student Investment Account (SIA) grant agreement, allowing the district to begin drawing from an allocation of a little more than $4.5 million split across the two-year biennium.

District staffer Aaron, who presented the agreement to the board, said the SIA funds "come from the Student Success Act 2019" and are intended to meet specific student needs and support priority student groups. He walked trustees through the grant goals, tiered student-performance targets required by the program, and an accounting of quarter-one spending categories.

Board members and public attendees asked for concrete examples of how the money is used. Presenters cited restored elementary music as an SIA-funded program, the district’s move from contracted nursing services toward a permanent nurse position, and the ability to fund behavior and regulation specialists. "That was a direct benefit — the behavior specialist position was increased from halftime to full time through that funding," a board member said while discussing reduced visits to the district’s regulation station.

After discussion, a motion to approve the SIA grant agreement was made and seconded. The roll call recorded affirmative votes and the motion passed. The board directed staff to submit required reporting to the Oregon Department of Education so the district can "start pulling those funds," per Aaron’s presentation.

The agreement documentation was included in the board packet; administrators said they would forward the formal report to state officials as required by SIA rules. No dissenting votes or abstentions on the motion were recorded on the transcript.

Next steps: staff will file the SIA report with the Department of Education and begin implementing the funded programs and reporting back to the board on outcomes and spending.