The St. Helens School District board heard a detailed presentation on the district's integrated guidance plan and Student Investment Account (SIA) funding during its virtual meeting. Staff outlined outcome targets and the programs SIA funds are intended to support.

District leaders said the integrated guidance plan is built around five outcome areas, including early literacy and high-school success. "We're going to look at our third-grade ELA proficiency level with the hope to increase by a minimum of 2% annually," a presenter said, and the district intends to "increase the graduation rate by at least 1 percent annually." Staff also listed investments in social-emotional learning, mental-health staff, a restorative-justice coordinator, instructional coaching and expanded CTE and AVID supports.

The presentation explained SIA budgeting mechanics as biennial funding with annual budgets and a year-one carryover option, and noted the district's reporting cadence to the Oregon Department of Education. Presenters described progress-monitoring tiers (early, intermediate and long-term) and emphasized obligations to gather student voice as part of plan development.

During public comment, St. Helens resident and former teacher Patrick Berkeley urged the board to prioritize student safety and supports for struggling students and early-career teachers, saying behavioral issues had limited classroom instruction. "Our teachers cannot teach unless we have students who are capable of learning," Berkeley said.

The SIA agreement was included on the consent agenda for board action; the board approved the consent agenda after removing an unrelated intergovernmental agreement with the city for separate review. District staff said further community engagement on budget priorities is planned in January, with a February presentation of priorities the board will consider.

Documents presented during the update list budgeted staffing for integrated guidance and program items such as Synergy analytics for MTSS and other investments; specific line-item figures were provided in the board packet.