Navigating the High Desert: Education Challenges and Opportunities
The High Desert region faces unique educational challenges stemming from its rapid growth and the specific needs of its diverse student population. However, these challenges also present opportunities for innovation and collaboration to ensure every student has access to a high-quality education.
Addressing Unique Challenges in High Desert Education
Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares (R-Santa Clarita) initiated a series of “District Dialogues” with an education roundtable, uniting school superintendents from across the High Desert. The goal was to discuss shared priorities and opportunities for collaboration between state government and local education leaders. Senator Valladares emphasized the importance of working together to ensure every student, regardless of background or zip code, has access to a high-quality education in a safe learning environment, with pathways to good careers.
The discussion focused on education funding, program implementation, and expanding career opportunities for every student. The High Desert Education Service District (HDESD), recognizes the concerns raised by parents and community members regarding budget adjustments, stressing their unwavering commitment to maintain high-quality, individualized support for all eligible children.
The HDESD Board approved a budget for the 2025-2026 school year that reflects the difficult reality of a substantial funding shortfall in the Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) program. While some changes to staffing and service delivery are necessary, their commitment is to maintain high-quality, individualized support for all eligible children. They are working diligently to redesign how they deliver these services so that they can preserve essential supports while being fiscally responsible. These shifts will allow them to continue supporting children in ways that are meaningful and effective, while adapting to the current funding climate.
One of the critical challenges is the need to support students with disabilities. Tiffany Nusser’s daughter, Adelynn, who is autistic and nonverbal, is one of the children impacted. Jennifer Underhill, the mother of Grayson, emphasized that her son needs one-on-one support.
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Expanding Career and Technical Education (CTE) Opportunities
Senator Valladares underscored the importance of expanding opportunities for high-tech and skilled trade education for local students, sharing her ongoing efforts to expand Career Technical Education (CTE) opportunities throughout California. She stated that "workforce readiness starts in the classroom."
One example of preparing students for the workforce is the Sisters Summer Work Experience, a program organized and managed by Amy Johnson, youth transition specialist in Sisters. From late June through early August, eleven transition students worked four days each week in a variety of local businesses, including Laird Superfood, Bedouin clothing and gifts, the Sisters High School greenhouse, and the Sisters Farmers Market. Participating in the program required a commitment. Students had to prepare resumés, attend interviews, and meet with their school district human resources office.
Dulce Dunham, age 17, attends both Sisters High School and the Sisters transition program. Dunham’s favorite part of the summer work program was the opportunity to help another student. Dunham found the work rewarding and challenging and now plans to pursue job coaching as a career after graduation, and her teachers support that idea. After her experiences this summer, Dunham would like to encourage other transition students to give every new opportunity a try.
Impact Oregon makes it easy for job seekers to find and apply for jobs that interest them and to educate job seekers about the variety of careers within the disability services field. The greatest and most critical need is for Direct Support Professionals, who provide one-on-one support to a client. Impact Oregon also benefits people who are already working in a disability services position and who are interested in the next step in their career.
Fostering Social Connections and Emotional Well-being
Friendships boost self-esteem, confidence, and resilience as they grow up. Loneliness can lead to low self worth, depression, or anxiety. Dan Kriz and Tucker Lemm developed Friendometry, a practical tool to combat childhood loneliness. Friendometry is different from other sites where people meet and connect, because the parents are in control of who the kids meet. If both sets of parents agree that their kids may be a good match, they set up a time to get together in real life. The questionnaire is strength-based, with no need for details on a specific disability. The parents then can search for a potential friend match by specific interests, age, and location. The accounts are anonymous until both groups choose to connect. Once both families agree to meet, they share contact information and plan a time to get the kids together. Friendometry offered an important social outlet for kids at home during the pandemic.
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Transition programs also focus on incorporating relationship skills. Sauve and her colleagues partnered with the Oregon Health Authority to identify a time-tested, data-driven curriculum. They chose Friendships & Dating, a course designed by the University of Alaska Anchorage Center for Human Development. This ten-week class is tailored to meet the needs of young adults with I/DD. Topics range from understanding emotions, boundaries and communication, to personal safety and sexual health. The second session involves a field trip into the community, to see how relationships work in real life. Along with the training, teachers receive everything needed to run the class. In addition to the full curriculum and teaching materials, each program receives some funding to cover the cost of community outings.
Promoting Financial Literacy and Independence
Without a saving plan, payday deposits can dwindle away. The Good Budget app helps users split their money into virtual envelopes, each with a different purpose. NeighborImpact, a local non-profit organization, offers personal finance coaching sessions to help define a saving strategy. The Your Money, Your Goals toolkit offers a way for parents and their young adult children to work together, topic by topic. For visual learners who prefer watching a video to reading text, Udemy’s Personal Finance 101 offers a fun animated option. The National Disability Institute makes that easy, with worksheets to download and print off. These include spending and saving diaries, steps to choose a bank, menu planning and shopping lists, and financial fitness scores.
Addressing Post-Pandemic Challenges
A recent survey by the American Psychological Association showed that almost half of us are still feeling anxiety and stress from the pandemic. Catching up on medical care is a good way to get back on track - and a good opportunity to talk about mental health concerns like anxiety or depression. Just walking outdoors every day will lift your spirits and your fitness level.
Screen time for teens increased by an estimated 60%, sometimes up to nine hours each day. Switching to in-person game nights instead of virtual gaming can help everyone balance their screen time.
As the job market bounces back from the pandemic, new opportunities come up every day. Students might notice a “We’re Hiring!” sign outside a store or hear about job openings from a friend, and stop into that business to fill out a job application. YTP specialists and VR counselors may have suggestions on summer work experiences and how to get started. Some positions only last for the summer season- a chance to try something new!
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Regional Collaboration and Educator Support
Across Central Oregon, educators are the foundation of student success. At a time when Oregon faced a statewide educator turnover rate of nearly 30%, Central Oregon saw a different outcome. COREN-supported districts reduced turnover to 24.5%, helping ensure students experienced continuity and stability with the adults who support them each day. Recognizing that student regulation depends on a regulated adult culture, COREN invested in restorative and trauma-informed practices across 82 schools.
COREN ensured strong stewardship of public dollars by directing more than $1.6 million in formula funds to educator support strategies while also leveraging significant external funding, including grants supporting LGBTQ2SIA+, community mental health partnerships, and regional innovation, extending impact without additional strain on the State School Fund.
HDESD’s Central Oregon Regional Educator Network is working alongside Central Oregon school districts and higher education partners to cultivate an increasingly diverse workforce. In addition to HDESD’s training offerings, Central Oregon Regional Educator Network (COREN) works closely with educators to foster a sense of belonging for students aged 0-21. Over 300 of the region’s educators have participated in a Belonging Book Study over the last three years. Through initiatives like “Taking it Up,” they are working to ensure that our teams have the knowledge, understanding, and skills they need to create and sustain that culture.
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