Crook County schools to use new state funds to add teachers

As well as mental health support specialists, nurses, other roles

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Crook County School District has reports on how its student body has grown and changed in this school year, and how it plans to use new state funding to add teachers and other needed staff.

About 175 new students have enrolled in the district this school year, leaving many curious about where the new students are coming from.

CCSD Director of School Improvement Joel Hoff reports that nearly half of the new students come from other Central Oregon regional school districts, with most coming from Redmond.

Many students have also moved in from the Willamette Valley, and several have come from nearby states. A handful of new students transferred from other states across the country and from as far as the East Coast.

A small percentage of the newly enrolled students came from private, online and charter schools.

“As we see more and more students enroll in our schools, we are continuously refining our systems to ensure every family receives an exemplary educational experience,” Hoff said. “Furthermore, we have hired additional staff and will continue to hire new staff in order to maintain our high-quality service model.”

Based on the Oregon Department of Education’s Fall Membership Validation, which is a validated measure from Oct. 1, 2018, to Oct. 1, 2019, the Crook County School District, which serves more than 3,000 students, had a total net gain of 141 students, Hoff said. The largest increases were at Crooked River Elementary and Crook County Middle School.

Over the past year, the district has gathered CCSD staff and community input to help plan for the estimated $2.4 million the Student Success Act will bring to the district next school year. One of the top recommendations was to hire more teachers to reduce elementary class sizes. The district plans to hire more teachers for the 2020-2021 school year.

Enrollment at the two elementary schools in Prineville and Crook County Middle School have surged this school year, prompting the school board to form a Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee.

The committee ultimately decided to open a theme school at the Pioneer Complex site to help reduce class sizes at the elementary schools. The art, technology and adventure school opens in September with 10 classrooms of kindergarten through fourth-grade students.

The Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee is also exploring options for the middle school to ensure space for increased enrollment.

The school district also publicly released the initial Student Investment Account Application on Tuesday on the school district website.

The draft includes descriptions of the district’s community engagement efforts and feedback, investment priorities, and specific details on how CCSD will invest the approximately $2.4 million Student Success Act allotment for the 2020-2021 school year, Hoff said.

Highlights of the CCSD Student Investment Account:

• Hiring more teachers to reduce kindergarten through fifth-grade class sizes
• Hiring and retaining more mental health support positions
• Hiring more staff designated to support at-risk secondary students
• Hiring more instructional assistants to help with small group English language arts, math, and social emotional learning enrichment and intervention
• Hiring and retaining support positions for community engagement/support for focal populations
• Funding additional registered nursing services
• Funding summer enrichment opportunities for students
• Funding after-school activities for students
• Funding teacher training opportunities in English language arts, math, and social emotional learning/behavior

The Oregon Department of Education requires a month-long public preview of the district’s application.

To view the CCSD Student Investment Account Funding Overview, visit the CCSD website and click the Departments tab and select School Improvement. It may also be accessed at http://crookcounty.k12.or.us/ccsd-student-investment-account-funding-overview/.

An online form to provide feedback is also available on the web page. A paper copy of the document is available upon request at the district office.