Oregon Department of Education rolls out Student Success Act toolkit
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
The Oregon Department of Education released two weeks ago the webpage for the Student Success Act. The resource page includes a toolkit to help districts implement the act and apply for its Student Investment Account grants.
The act, passed to much fanfare earlier this year, is poised to invest $1 billion a year in education initiatives. Roughly half of that will be distributed directly to districts via enrollment-based grants. The bill requires school districts to undergo a thorough planning process for this money, specifically requiring community outreach and planning on a scale that has not been required previously.
The toolkit was created to help districts navigate that process. OSBA and many other education stakeholders — including the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators, the Oregon Education Association, Stand for Children, early learning advocates and advocates representing communities of color — contributed to its creation. The goal was to make it immediately useful. Users are encouraged to offer feedback until Sept. 13 to create a second version.
The process timelines are tight. The combination of the act and other federal requirements forced a Dec. 6 deadline for submission of continuous improvement plan materials. Grant applications will begin in the spring for money for the 2020-21 school year.
