For the first time in the district’s history, board members of Modesto City Schools in Modesto, California, approved a contract that would post a probation officer at one of the district’s schools.
Elliott Continuation School will have a contracted probation officer on duty primarily for the counsel of at-risk teens and in an effort to meet the spending goals set by community officials.
Sponsored School(s)
The spending plan looks to accomplish certain budgetary goals that would be met with the surplus funding that it receives from the State. Most of the surplus provisions are used to provide additional teaching and tutoring assistance for underachieving students and slow learners.
Elliott Continuation School has the highest number of what the district calls “poor students” and “English learners” in the area and the funds will serve to address these very issues. However, the addition of a probation officer at the school is something of a surprise, albeit a welcome one, to most parents and faculty members.
The contract is for two years and is worth just under $225,000 with the Stanislaus County Probation Department. Voting on the contract passed unanimously this week.
The addition of a probation officer is intended to help emphasize long-term solutions for adolescent offenders. The district has expressed its commitment to helping the at-risk teens in the community overcome personal obstacles and work toward becoming productive and upstanding members of the community.
These officers have access to the most up-to-date and relevant resources necessary to perform their jobs and many in the community have expressed their support of the addition. The unanimous vote approving the probation officers demonstrates the fact that support is also strong among the district executives.