School districts get graduation grant money

 Kalispell and Columbia Falls school districts recently received grants from the state Office of Public Instruction’s Graduation Matters initiative.

Kalispell received $10,000 and Columbia Falls $8,295 to develop and support dropout prevention strategies and interventions.

Graduation Matters Kalispell has set a goal of reducing the dropout rate from 4.2 percent to 2 percent and reduce the district’s credit deficiency rate from 11 percent to 8 percent by the end of the 2015-16 school year. 

To achieve this goal, school officials plan to use grant money to continue their freshman academy, credit retrieval programs, and hold an “I Pledge to Graduate” ceremony for every eighth-grade class.

During the first year of the Challenge Fund grant, Graduation Matters Kalispell decreased the credit deficiencies of 225 students through summer school and a Christmas catch-up program. 

Additionally, 700 eighth-graders took the pledge to graduate and 15 community and business partnerships were created. Kalispell plans to continue to support these efforts through the Graduation Matters task force and keep building support for Graduation Matters Kalispell and student success throughout the community.

Graduation Matters Columbia Falls has set a goal of reducing the dropout rate by 1 percent each year to achieve dropout rate of zero by 2017. 

Additionally, the Columbia Falls effort aims to reduce the number of students who are credit-deficient by 19 percent each year. 

Columbia Falls plans to use grant money for summer school and academic coaches who will be assigned to students who are identified as at risk for dropping out. Graduation Matters Columbia Falls has already created 28 business and community partnerships.