Homeless Youth: Sonoma County in Dubious First Place*

Additional programs in schools are needed to provide marketable skills and financial literacy to young people. AGREE. We encourage financial literacy for students! This is an important life skill for all students to include students who are currently experiencing homelessness. Education Code § 51225.3 requires all students in California in order to receive a high school diploma to ¹ The Sonoma County Board of Education ("SCBOE") has limited budgetary oversight, appellate review for student expulsions, and interdistrict transfers, and other issues in accordance with Education Code §§ 1040 et seq. Steven D. Herrington, Ph.D. | Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools Board of Education | Gina Cuclis, Herman G. Hernandez, Peter Kostas, Andrew Leonard, Lisa Wittke Schaffner complete a one semester course in economics. The California Department of Education ("CDE") provides school districts with guidance on the selection of curriculum and the development of state standards (in association with the State Board of Education ("SBE")). Education Code § 51284 required CDE/SBE to, among other issues, ensure that the textbooks and curriculum frameworks address "... financial literacy, including, but not limited to, budgeting and managing credit, student loans, consumer debt, and identity theft security." The CDE website provides information on financial literacy and approved resources and curriculum for financial literacy stating: Young people need to be equipped with the skills and knowledge that allow them to be savvy consumers and competent managers of their own finances. The goal of this financial literacy awareness initiative is to provide schools, teachers, students and parents with access to supplemental resources that can help students develop a keen understanding of responsible money management and increase their overall financial literacy. The California Department of Education is partnering with financial institutions, consumer groups, and other government agencies in this effort.2 Through a resolution on April 4, 2019, SCBOE and my office supported legislation that would further address student literacy, unfortunately the legislation did not pass the appropriations committee.3 My office and the SCOE continue to encourage increased financial literacy for all students.

The majority of the County's efforts related to the homeless youth population focus on providing programs and services to young people already living on the streets, rather than programs to prevent homelessness in the first place. DISAGREE IN PART. This finding requires me to form an opinion on the efficacy of Sonoma County's efforts to address the prevention of homelessness for students. I believe this finding is too narrow and takes too simple a view of this societal issue – homelessness. Therefore, I disagree in part. I do agree that everyone – individuals and institutions – should do all they can to reduce homelessness for youth and their families. The federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act outlines various responsibilities that K-12 educational institutions must ensure are implemented to address the needs of youth that are experiencing homelessness. SCOE has information on addressing the needs of youth that are experiencing homelessness on our website: https://www.scoe.org/pub/htdocs/homeless-education.html. SCOE also has a Foster and Homeless Youth Education Services Coordinator that assists school districts in Sonoma County in addressing the needs of youth that are experiencing homelessness and students in the foster care system. RESPONSE TO GRAND JURY'S RECOMMENDATIONS