Measure 98
In November of 2016, Oregon voters passed ballot Measure 98 called the High School Success measure. Measure 98 was designed to bring additional funding to bring Oregon’s education system to support Dropout prevention programs, Career and Technical Education (CTE), and College Level Education Opportunities. Baker Early College developed a plan as a team with our administration, counseling, and support staff on what would be the best use of these funds. This page is intended to be transparent about how we are using these extra funds.
BEC M98 Budget Categories
AVID Instruction/College Readiness- 37.5%
Admin Costs- 0.6%
SSP/Drop-out Prevention- 20.9%
College and Career Counselors- 26.7%
College CTE Course Fees- 2.2%
AVID Professional Development- 12%
Total Grant Allotment for 19/20- $238,375
Student Investment Account Plan
In the historic 2019 legislative session HB 3427, otherwise known as the Student Success Act, was passed by the Oregon legislators. This massive investment in Oregon’s education system was based on a small business tax that would bring additional resources into the K-12 system to support: Early Learning Account, Student Investment Account and Statewide Education Initiatives Account. Each account has specific focuses that were identified by a collective effort of the legislators, parents, students, school personnel, and community members. Not all schools would have access to the funds (Baker Web Academy cannot access these funds) but Baker Early College was able to qualify. After a community engagement process, we identified several areas we would use the funds on. Our plan is currently being evaluated by the state for final approval. Note- the impact of decreased business tax funds due to COVID-19 may lower these amounts from our earlier projections.
Currently our plan is to split our resources between parent/student initiatives and hiring a Student Wellness Coordinator. Our vision for the Student Wellness Coordinator is to offer additional supports to our families in the areas of student mental health, equity, and stakeholder engagement. We plan on offering live counseling support to students who are in crisis, dealing with trauma, or stress management as needed. Students attending college full-time while in high school endure a lot of stress and challenge. In addition to the Student Wellness Coordinator, we will fund a number of parent initiatives. These fund accounts will be set for students to access resources we are currently unable to do on our regular state funding. The funds will be for extra book costs, extra tuition/fee coverage for summer school and credits above 12 credits, paying SAT/ACT test fees, and covering additional CTE class fees. We believe this is a balanced plan that will allow our students to access Baker Early College in a more successful manner than before.
Student Investment Account Budget Categories
Student Wellness Coordinator- 50%
SAT/ACT Test Fees- 5%
College CTE Course Fees- 2.5%
Book Stipend Account- 12.5%
Summer School Tuition- 10%
Tuition/Fee Account- 20%
Total Projected Allotment- $200,000
Community Engagement Results
Through the fall of 2019 we did our best to engage the community of parents, students, staff, and board members as we built our SIA plan. The results are displayed to the right with the number one choice on the top and the number two choice below. Our stakeholders wanted additional tuition/fee support above the 12 credits Oregon high school students receive currently. Next they wanted expanded course options for CTE or special program fees that went above the standard 12 credit fee structure. In the open comments stakeholders also asked for additional book stipends, SAT/ACT test coverage, and summer school options.