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Educators and program staff urge Seward County not to cut truancy program funding
Summary
Directors and staff of Youth Empowerment, school principal Darla Forney and program officers told commissioners the county’s truancy program prevents court referrals and supports students, asking that funding be retained as the commission revisits the budget.
Candy Archuleta, director of Youth Empowerment, told the Seward County Commission the organization’s truancy program is a preventive, cost-saving service that keeps students connected to school and reduces future involvement with the justice system. Archuleta said the program is not simply about enforcing attendance but about addressing underlying family and student needs.
April Pineda, a truancy officer with the program, said the majority of students who come through the program do not end up in the court system. “We intervene early. We address the issues before they escalate,” Pineda said, describing the program as a trusted point of contact for families.
Courtney Morin, an informal supervision worker, described day-to-day outreach—home visits, checking on student attendance, and connecting families to services—and said the program keeps students out of dangerous situations. Liberal High School principal Darla Forney said in 24 years of education she has not seen a program as effective and implored commissioners not to cut the funding.
Archuleta provided program statistics for the period Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 17, 2025: 102 declarations were received, 68 participants chose the voluntary program, 35 were released successfully, 29 had petitions filed for noncompliance, 2 aged out, and 1 moved. She said the program currently has 30 in the voluntary program and 13 on informal supervision, with additional cases pending.
Commissioners thanked the presenters and said staff would consider these comments during budget deliberations. No formal budget decision was made at the meeting.
