D21 lists plans for new funds

Newly approved funding for schools would mean about $2.5 million per year for D21 starting July 2020, said Randy Anderson, chief financial officer at North Wasco County School District 21.

One of the key goals of the new funding, which will be created through a new tax on large Oregon businesses and will generate $1 billion a year for K-12 schools, is smaller class sizes.

“Though we can’t create additional classrooms we can certainly support the ones we have,” D21 Superintendent Candy Armstrong told the school board May 23.

The state priorities under the Student Success Act are smaller classes, a well-rounded education, student health and safety and more learning time, Armstrong said.

The district wants to invest in all of those areas, Armstrong said.

Also planned is expanding a program called AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), which is relatively new to local schools but has a decades-long track record of success nationally.

The teacher-created program helps middle-performing students learn strong academic habits and become college-ready.

The district has it in the high school now and wants to extend it to all grades.

Other plans are to broaden teacher training and create a student

wellness center at the middle school. It would provide middle schoolers with a safe place for de-escalation and counseling, Anderson said.

The district also plans to hire two counselors with the new revenues.

Also planned is hiring a school resource officer, to be shared between the middle school and high school.

The district also wants to increase after-school programming, though no concrete plans exist yet, as well as do summer “bridge” programming.

Bridge programming would work with transitions from pre-school to elementary school, from elementary to middle school, from middle school to high school and high school to beyond.