By Robert Schaulis
In a presentation in front of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors this week, Humboldt County Office of Education Superintendent Michael Davies-Hughes provided an annual presentation on the state of education in Humboldt County. He also addressed concerns from the board regarding federal funding cuts and the challenges that the county’s educators may be facing.
“As far as federal funding goes, most recently, we heard last Friday that there are retractions of federal funding for mental health grants,” Davies-Hughes said. “I’ll give you an example: McKinleyville Union School District had about one $1.5 million grant that is now being cut, and it has … a direct impact on students and the support that they need.”
Federal School-Based Mental Health grant funding has been the target of recent cuts by the Department of Education, with many schools receiving abrupt notice that their grant will be terminated well in advance of its expiration date.
When asked by Supervisor Natalie Arroyo about federal funding cuts and the challenges that Humboldt County schools are facing, Davies-Hughes said that it has been a “mixed bag” and that schools were facing “very uncertain times.” He said that because the majority of education funds come from the state, with only 8%-10% of funding coming at the federal level, HCOE is “somewhat buffered” from the effects of federal cuts.
“But that doesn’t mean that we’re … completely immune from it,” Davies-Hughes said. “I am concerned about the ongoing commitment to education — especially for our most vulnerable populations.” He said that Title I funds, Head Start programs and other programs that may be imperiled due to cuts at the federal level will affect students most at risk in the community and noted that “food and housing insecurities exacerbated by threats to federal funding continue to impact students performance.”
Despite cuts and uncertainty at the federal level, during his presentation, Davies-Hughes cited successes in enhancing collaboration with tribal partners and youth mental health service providers.
He also cited enduring challenges including declining enrollment, food and housing insecurity, a lack of broadband access and chronic absenteeism.
“We can’t be dependent on a one-size-fits-all approach in education,” Davies-Hughes said. “You all know that our goal is always to meet students where they’re at and then determine what they need (and) provide the necessary supports and interventions to make sure that they come to a place of academic success and more importantly that we prepare them for their preferred future.”
