This should result in saving approximately 25 teaching positions. East County school districts would benefit from a short-term transition program for returning students to get them ready to reenter their home school. Resources from the recent passage of the BIT special education surcharge will not all be collected in time to be used this year by schools. The County will pay schools the full amount this year and will be paid back when future receipts are collected. Parental involvement with parent-friendly schools has proven to be an excellent way to improve school attendance and school success.
Research indicates that parental involvement is a critical element of keeping children in school.
This has been funded and endorsed by the Multnomah Commission on Children and Families as consistent with building upon the strengths of students and parents in the community. This budget includes funds for an additional school-based health clinic at Binnsmead Middle School and four new Touchstone sites. Touchstone social workers are assigned to schools to work with struggling families of school children, especially around alcohol and drug issues. In addition, the Multnomah Commission on Children and Families will have additional grant funding available for programs like the Buckman Community Partnership, developed in cooperation with SE Impact at the initiative of Buckman parents. Of course, the passage of the recent library levy allows us to upgrade our library in hours and services that provide direct assistance to students such as the School Corps which connects children's librarians directly with schools.