Superintendent says Rainier SD 13 will use ESSER funds to run summer school after state grant process falls short

Superintendent Dr Hatrick told the board that Rainier School District 13 will use district ESSER funds to operate a summer-learning program after concluding the state grant process is inaccessible for many small districts.

Explaining House Bill 4082 and Oregon Department of Education procedures, Dr Hatrick said the state allocated $30 million for summer learning grants nationwide but only funded 72 of 281 districts. He reported that Rainier ranked 125th in the state's priority ranking and is therefore unlikely to receive a grant. “we will not accept it and just like CTE revitalization Grant we will use our own funds to fund our summer school program,” he said, characterizing the application as prohibitive for small districts lacking grant-writing capacity.

The board packet and Dr Hatrick’s remarks show the district is allocating $70,000 of ESSER (S3) funds to support summer school while retaining a larger ESSER balance (he said roughly $800,000 remains). Administrators said families will receive details in the coming weeks and that the program will be finalized as staff plans continue. The superintendent also said the district will provide template advocacy letters on its website to encourage local residents to contact legislators about the perceived inequities in funding distribution.

Board members asked logistical questions about typical summer-school costs and staffing; administrators said the final cost will depend on student participation and staff availability this year, and they expect the coming summer to provide better baseline data on program expenses.

Next steps: staff will finalize summer-school plans and share enrollment and schedule information with families; the board did not reverse the commitment to use district ESSER funds for the program.