With the economy struggling everywhere, lawmakers looking to save money are cutting programs aimed at keeping kids in school.
Washington state faces a nearly $9 billion deficit and Gov. Chris Gregoire has singled out the Building Bridges dropout prevention program for elimination next year.
Building Bridges funds 15 programs aimed at keeping kids in schools throughout the state. Some of those programs serve several schools. In Snohomish County, the Marysville, Stanwood and Everett school districts partnered to share one grant, worth roughly $110,000.
In Marysville and Everett, the grant pays for coordinators to meet with teens at risk of dropping out, including 18-year-old Mona Robles. They help the students get organized, stay on top of their classes and deal with outside issues that could keep them from class. The coordinators are a “combination between a mother and a pit bull,” said JoAnne Fabian, director of on-time graduation for the Everett School District.
“Every student who doesn’t graduate costs our economy and our taxpayers a lot of money, so every student we can get through is certainly a victory,” Fabian said. “Helping students to get through school changes dramatically their lives and the lives of their children. This is a huge community issue and we are all going to suffer as the result of the elimination of these programs. It’s a bad year and I’m glad I’m not the governor, but this is a big deal for everybody, not just for schools.”
If the grant disappears, the Marysville School District and others across the state may have to downsize or cut their programs, said Ray Houser, the district’s executive director of teaching and learning.
Of the 45 students in Marysville’s Building Bridges program, just two dropped out, and they’ve since re-enrolled.
Building Bridges is succeeding in Marysville because it’s personalized for every student, Houser said. Like parents, Building Bridges staffers bug students when they slack off and help them envision a future they may never have thought possible.
Everett uses Building Bridges money to fund a coordinator at its alternative high school and relies on money from voter-approved Initiative 728 to fund the positions at its other high schools. Those funds, most known for keeping class sizes small, could also be eliminated.
The Edmonds School District eliminated its Options alternative school for at-risk teens last summer to save $201,400 a year.
The Workforce Development Council Snohomish County is trying to secure federal money to pay for some of the dropout retention programs that would otherwise be cut, but it’s too early to tell if that will happen, said Curtis Takahashi, who oversaw the Building Bridges grant for Workforce.
“I’d say you have to search a little more diligently to find some funding,” he said.
However, less money doesn’t necessarily mean more dropouts, said Michael Silver, director of Seattle University’s educational administration program.
Without extra funding, teachers and administrators can help more kids graduate by changing school culture, values and beliefs, he said. Students are more likely to stay if they connect with teachers and feel welcome at school.
Schools can use money already set aside for professional development to work with teachers on these sorts of issues, he said.
Programs such as Building Bridges may be helpful, but Silver says teachers can connect with kids without extra money.
“It’s not one program that’s saving students from dropping out,” Silver said. “The research shows it’s beyond any individual or any program. It’s the culmination of a number of factors.”
Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292, kmanry@heraldnet.com.
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