When it was announced recently that the Nevada Joint Union High School District was no longer eligible to apply for state funding of its longtime Young Parents Program, the reasons were not provided. But District Superintendent Louise Johnson says she has since learned, from the California Department of Public Health, that there’s been a shifting of priorities to larger, urban districts, where there are more students in need…

click to listen to Louise Johnson

High school districts apply for funding every three years. And for the past three decades, Johnson says Nevada Joint Union had been receiving as much as $80,000. They’re now exploring alternatives to fill the service gap…

click to listen to Louise Johnson

Also known as the Adolescent Family Life Program, it helps students meet the demands of raising a child while, in many ways, still children themselves. Johnson says about 40 students a year had been served. It’s helped improve graduation rates, birth control use, mental and physical health, while also reducing repeat pregnancies. Hospitality House was also hit with a federal funding cut, due to a greater emphasis on larger metropolitan areas.