School district striving to serve homeless pupils

SAUGUS – Saugus? hotel industry and public school district may seem like an odd team, but it?s a collaboration that is vital for homeless families with school-age children.With all the hotels and motels lining Route 1 and nearby roads, Saugus is a prime community for the state to place homeless families in temporary housing. Families will stay at establishments like the Colonial Traveler Inn until a more permanent situation can be found, which sometimes can take more than a year. While they?re living in Saugus, the town is tasked with ensuring the children are still getting an education.?It?s a big responsibility for Saugus,” said Lisa Howard, executive director of pupil personnel services at Saugus Public Schools.Howard handles the cases of homeless students in Saugus, which she reported in February had been about 50 students in the 2013-14 school year. When a family is uprooted from sudden situations, like a house fire, eviction or foreclosure, Howard is notified from a state agency when a family has been placed in Saugus so she can make sure they have access to food stamps, health care, free or reduced-price lunch and, most importantly, transportation to and from school.The town is mandated by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act to pay for the transportation to and from school, whether the student chooses to attend school in either the host community or their district of origin.Howard said most students choose to continue to attend school in their home district. “You have to try not to disrupt the one thing that?s stable in their life, and school is the most consistent thing,” said Howard.But the decision is left up to the family and individual student to decide what?s best for them. A 45-minute ride to Lowell twice a day can be tough for a kindergartner, explained Howard.Though Saugus splits the cost with the student?s community of origin in half (Howard said Saugus splits the cost with six or seven communities at a time), it can be costly. Howard estimated that Saugus will spend about $50,000 for the 2013-2014 school year on transporting homeless students. The district budgeted for the same amount for the proposed 2014-15 budget.?It hits the school?s budget for sure,” said Howard.Since Saugus has no way to know how many homeless students they will host in a given year, Howard said the cost is equally as unpredictable. “We have to track every kid. The date they came and left and how much was spent on each kid,” said Howard.Howard said the state reimbursed the district for the cost last year, but it?s “only a portion” and never guaranteed because it depends on state funding. “It is my hope that the state will continue to reimburse schools a percentage of that cost, but it is not a guarantee,” said Howard.The transportation cost is the biggest factor, but there are other challenges the district can face. Since most families become homeless overnight, it can be difficult to attain the records from the student?s community of origin, including health and immunization records and any specialized education plans, so the student?s education can be disrupted. Communicating with the parents poses a challenge as well, said Howard, because most can?t afford to keep a cellphone.In some cases, a language barrier can complicate things. Howard recalled one case in which a family traveled from another country to reunite with their mother in the United States. Their apartment became too full, and the landlord evicted them, leading them to be placed in Saugus. “They didn?t speak a word of English,” said Howard.Unpredictable student fluctuations can place a strain on enrollment, but Howard said it?s less of a financial impact than the teacher?s desire to keep consistency in their classrooms. “Any time you add a kid to the roster, it costs money, but from a financial perspective, the transportation is the big piece,” said Howard.As difficult a challenge homeless students can pose on the school, Howard said it pales in comparis