The Highland School Board approved a resolution for a funding request for their At Risk/Dropout Prevention program during their regular meeting Monday.

Superintendent Ken Crawford says the district is asking the state for an allocation of $193,000 through the state’s Modified Supplemental Amount for Dropout Prevention funding mechanism. With a 25 percent local match, total funds come out to $241,250. Crawford explains how the district can put these funds to use, “We can only use it for students that we have identified as at risk or dropout potential. It’s not for kids that are dropping out. It’s just for at risk and dropout prevention. So whether that be materials that we want to spend that money on or programs that we spend that money on, it’s coming from the state and then we try and spend that money in those appropriate ways.”

As defined by Iowa code, “potential dropouts” are defined as residents who are enrolled in a public or nonpublic school who demonstrate poor school adjustment as indicated by two or more factors such as a high rate of absenteeism, frequent tardiness, limited or no extracurricular participation, poor grades, or low achievement scores in reading or mathematics. Crawford added that the funds requested in this resolution will be received for the 2022-23 school year.