Schools await stimulus funds for homeless children

Tuolumne and Calaveras county schools will receive nearly $50,000 in federal stimulus money for homeless students.

The California Department of Education announced McKinney-Vento funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be distributed to the Calaveras County Office of Education, the Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools Office and Jamestown Elementary School.

The Calaveras Office will get $13,029, Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools will receive $22,300, and Jamestown will get $13,394 to assist in addressing the educational and related needs of homeless students.
   

Homeless students include children whose families are living with another family, and “throw away kids” who’ve been kicked out of their homes for whatever reason and are “couch surfing,” from place to place, said Barbara Bernstein, coordinator for homeless education at the Calaveras County Office of Education.

In 2008, the County Office of Education had 27 homeless students, Bernstein said.

The funding in Calaveras will be used to support Bernstein’s position, which would have been reduced otherwise because of the budget cuts, said John Brophy, Calaveras County Superintendent of Schools.

The funding will also go toward expenses associated with homeless students like science camp, physical education uniforms, and school supplies, Bernstein said.

It will also provide tutoring to homeless students who’ve missed school and need help catching up.

In Tuolumne County, Jamestown School will use its stimulus funds at the Jamestown Family Resource Center, which began in 2000 and connects students and families to community aid/relief agencies. The center served about 60 students in the 2006-07 year and also provides an after school program. The center helps families find stable housing.

The Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools Office has not yet determined how it will use the $22,300, said Brenda Chapman, assistant superintendent of student programs and instruction.

The schools office anticipated getting more stimulus money and had an idea of what to do with it, but now with a smaller grant, it will re-evaluate the fund guidelines and then decide what it will be used for, Chapman said.

According to the CDE, schools can use the funds for programs for pre-school-aged homeless children, before- and after-school programs, mentoring and summer programs with educational activities. They can also be used to cover costs associated with tracking, obtaining and transferring records of homeless children, as well as other services.

“The severe cuts in state education funding have forced schools and districts to increase their class sizes, cut school transportation, and eliminate summer school programs,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell. “These are services and programs our homeless students rely on, and we now need more than ever. These one-time federal recovery act funds will help provide a critical lifeline for homeless students at a critical time in their lives.”