Work Session: Student Success Act Investment Plan
Board members continued their discussion about the proposed plan for Eugene School District 4J to invest Student Success Act Student Investment Account funds starting in the coming school year to bolster student success in and out of the classroom.
Student Investment Account funds must be spent to improve students’ academic success, reduce disparities between groups of students, and meet students’ behavioral and mental health needs. Funds may be spent in four areas: providing a well-rounded education, addressing students’ health and safety needs, increasing instructional time and/or reducing class size.
Superintendent Gustavo Balderas emphasized that a main purpose of the Student Success Act and a focus of the district’s proposed plan is to boost academic achievement among groups of students that traditionally have been underserved, including students of color, students with disabilities, students from economically disadvantaged households, and students learning English as a second language.
Dr. Balderas noted that the funds are limited and targeted. He noted that the proposed investment plan includes a robust strategy to improve third-grade reading through a comprehensive program of research-based literary skills, and does not include hiring more librarians. Regarding class sizes, the superintendent said the plan targeted funding to reduce class sizes where it would have the most impact: in grades 1 and 2 and in middle school core classes—math, language arts, science and social studies.
Staff provided more detailed information about the proposed investments in wraparound support teams, full schedules for high school students, and the Learning for All access and inclusion model.
District staff have spent the past several months gathering community input, reviewing research and analyzing student data to develop the investment plan. An overview of the draft plan was presented in a work session on February 19. On March 4 district staff presented more detail about the proposed plan’s nine major components and board members provided initial comments and asked questions about each of them. A community feedback forum was held on March 5 and the final forum was scheduled to be held on March 12.
The board is slated to adopt the plan on March 18. The district must submit the approved plan to the Oregon Department of Education by April 15 to be eligible to start receiving the funds in the coming school year.
Agenda and Materials
March 11 work session recording
NOTE: This is a quick summary of the topics and actions at a meeting of the school board. This document is NOT the official minutes of the school board. Official minutes are posted after they are drafted, reviewed and approved by the board. Recordings of meetings are posted within two days after the meeting.
School Board Meeting Schedule & Information
Additional settings for Safari Browser.
