Economic Status in Region 2
Institutional Narrative: The Institution and Its Mission
Lewis-Clark State College is a public undergraduate college established in 1893.
It is located in Lewiston, Idaho (North Central Idaho), a city of 35,000 where two rivers
(Snake and Clearwater), two cities and two states come (Clarkston, Washington and
Lewiston, Idaho) together. It is also near the place where two peoples and two cultures
came together in friendship and discovery when Lewis and Clark met the Nez Perce
Indians. Approximately 3,300 students attend LCSC. It is a unique institution in Idaho
because it integrates traditional baccalaureate programs, professional-technical training
programs, and workforce training for community support within a single institution. The
goal and mission of LCSC is to empower students to apply knowledge and skills in the
real world—connecting learning to life. LCSC has a significant impact on the region’s
educational, cultural, and economic environment. US News & World Report named
LCSC one of the top public, comprehensive, 4-year, colleges in the West.
LCSC draws students primarily from five Idaho counties (Clearwater, Idaho,
Latah, Lewis and Nez Perce). North Central Idaho has suffered from the impact of
economic restructuring with few resources to facilitate diversified economic
development. High unemployment in rural areas, severe underemployment throughout
the 5-county region, and low educational achievement characterize much of the
workforce. Two counties in North Central Idaho have suffered through unemployment
rates greater than 12% for two decades. (Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor)
The primary industries in Idaho, mining, timber and agriculture are being
displaced. At one time Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene mines ranked among the top ten producers
of gold, silver, zinc, and lead in the world. By 1999 however only 741 miners were left
from the previous work force of 546,000. (Source: County Profile of Idaho, Education
Department of Commerce, 2000).
A historic down turn in lumber prices and available timber harvests created
serious economic problems. Lumber and panel prices plummeted in 2000, down 35%
from 1999 (Daily Idahonian, 8/7/2000). Crown Pacific LTD in Coeur d’Alene, Louisiana
Pacific Corp. in Chilco and Sandpoint, Regulus Stud Mill Inc. in St. Maries, and Jaype
Plywood Mill in Pierce have all shut down. Numerous private mill operations have also
closed their doors due to cheaper imported lumber from Canada.
The agricultural industries of Northern Idaho have been dominated by grain crops.
The price of wheat has dropped from $3.05 per bushes to $2.23 per bushel since 1999.
The bottom of the market dropped out from under peas. They can’t be sold because the
market price is so low. (Source: Genesee Union Warehouse, a farm cooperative.)
The median income for this area is $32,361. Approximately 13% of the
population over 25 years of age holds a Bachelor’s degree. Idaho struggles with
unemployment, low wages, place-bound workers and the need to retrain the unskilled
labor force. North Central Idaho operates in an Appalachian environment. High
unemployment, dying extractive industries, low educational achievement, isolated
populations, poor transportation and communication, and two Native American
populations present unique challenges and opportunities.
ADDITIONAL INFO RELATED TO ECONOMIC STATUS OF REGION
Description of the specific geographic area to be affected by the project:
The geography of the land is the big player—what it offers and what it demands impacts almost
everything we do - where we live, work, and volunteer. The amount of rugged wilderness makes
it attractive for recreation, but also makes it extremely difficult to provide basic services. The
borders of the area are irregular but extend over 200 miles East to West from Montana to Oregon,
and over 200 miles north to south.
Included in this proposal are five counties in North Central Idaho: Nez Perce, Latah, Clearwater,
Lewis and Idaho Counties. The combined acreage covers 11,426 square miles or roughly, an area
the size of the states of Delaware and Maryland combined. The people who live here, all 28,600
of them, are widely scattered throughout the area, to compare with 5.7 million in densely
populated Maryland and Delaware. With 2.5 people per square mile in three of the counties, they
easily fit the designation of frontier counties. Such counties have less than six people per square
mile.
At the eastern border of the project area are the Bitterroot Mountains, recently brought to national
attention by the renewed interest in Lewis and Clark. The Bitterroots are a series of mountains,
ridge after ridge, steep and densely forested, described in their Journals as “a sea of mountains.”
Crossing the Bitterroots is often considered the most difficult part of the journey for the Corp of
Discovery. It is easy to see why the explorers nearly perished.
There are many beautiful rivers in deep narrow canyons in our 3 counties. The Clearwater River
system flows west out of the Bitterroots and is a prominent feature in the area. The Salmon River
drainage, more popularly know as “The River of No Return,” as well as the Lochsa and Selway
rivers are very wild and are loved by white-water enthusiasts. The western boarder is the Snake
River, running through a deep rocky gorge aptly called “Hells Canyon,” the deepest canyon in the
U.S.
There are three Wilderness Areas in this region, The Gospel Hump, The Frank Church River of
No Return, and the Selway-Bitterrroot. Much of the remaining forest land is owned and managed
by the State of Idaho or the US Forest Service. Land in Idaho County is 85% Federal ownership
and Clearwater County is 70% government owned — 55% Federal and 15% State of Idaho.
Above the deep river canyons in the eastern portions of the 3 county area are beautiful, rolling
plateaus or high prairie farm lands with long vistas of the distant mountains—the only portion of
the service area that can claim relatively straight roads. The Nez Perce Reservation is the
northeast portion of the proposal area. It is an ‘open” reservation meaning much of the land is
under private ownership. Nez Perce and Latah Counties are tame by comparison, though there is
a 2500 foot drop in elevation when traveling from Moscow to Lewiston.
Our population, like our geography, is unique. People living in rural and remote areas often face
economic hardships. The lifestyle impacts health adversely in many ways. Yet, they want to
make their communities healthy and desirable places to live. High quality, dependable emergency
medical services are vital.
The sparse population is widely scattered over this big, rugged geographical area. Twenty-two
thousand residents (22,000) of the 100,533 (2,000 census) live outside of the towns along the
river valleys, on mountain “benches” (local vocabulary for a flat piece of ground on the mountain
side where one can build a house), and on prairie farms. The population is 96% Caucasian, 2.6%
American Indian, 1.8% Hispanic, and .6% other.
The resident population is older than the national average in all three counties. According to the
Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor, County Profiles of Idaho 2004, Clearwater County
lost 20% of its population during the 1980s “due to cutbacks in the logging industry.
The percent of residents over 65 is high in all 3 counties. Lewis County, a small agricultural
county is the highest with 18% over 65; Clearwater has 15% and Idaho County has 17% of its
residents over 65. The state average is 11% and the national average is 12.5%. The median ages
for the respective counties are 42.5 for Lewis County, 41.7 for Clearwater, and 42.3 for Idaho
County. The state median age is 33.
The people who depend on the training and expertise of the emergency care providers in
rural/frontier areas are generally older and poorer and do not practice good health habits,
compared to urban populations. The local accident rate is high. Life style strongly influences
health. The Center for Disease Control’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System gives the
following statistics about the rural Idaho population in 2003:










15.6% engage in binge drinking
31% have high cholesterol
20% smoke cigarettes
21% don’t use seat belts
68% are over weight, and do not meet guidelines according to the Body Mass Index
(BMI)
59% are at risk based on the BMI
22% were obese
50% do not receive pneumonia vaccination
23% suffer from hypertension
6.3% have been told they have diabetes (50% higher than in 1994)
Lewis County, of 44 Idaho counties, ranks 4th in deaths due to coronary heart disease.
Employment Needs in the Area
Currently only one out of five job openings across the state offers that promise to an Idaho single
parent with two children, according to a regional analysis by the Northwest Federation of
Community Organizations in September 2004. The report stated that “the 19,000 jobs the state
[Idaho] has picked up in the past year do not offer the kind of wages that were paid to the
thousands of technology workers who lost their jobs during the recession.” The state lost 10,000
relatively high-paying, goods producing jobs and replaced them with 33,000 typically lowerpaying service and retail sector jobs. Analysts expect that only about 300 jobs will be created in
2004 that pay at least $15.50 an hour and includes health care.
The local economy based on timber and farming, is seasonal and unstable. Unemployment rates
are high, as are poverty rates, and per capita income is low. June 2004 statistics from the U.S.
Department of Labor show the unemployment rate for local counties are double and triple the
national rates.
Table 1: Unemployment Rates, June 2004
U.S rate
5.8 %
Idaho State rate
4.9 %
Clearwater County
13.1%
Idaho County
11%
Lewis County
4.5%
Trends over time demonstrate chronic unemployment due to traditional dependence on farming
and logging. Cuts in Forest Service employment have also contributed to the bleak employment
picture. With long-term high unemployment, data indicate consistent economic depression over
20 years.
Table 2: Unemployment Rates for 1980 and 1990
County
1980
1990
Clearwater County
16.7%
14.0%
Idaho County
12.7%
9.0%
Lewis County
10.4%
8.3%
The per capita income for the area 25 years ago was 93% of the national average. In 2004 this
area’s per capita income was 66% of the national average and 80% of the state average. The
trend is in the wrong direction.
Table 3: Per Capita Income for 2001
Three county average
$20,968
State
$25,911
Nation
$31,632
The Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor reports that Lewis, Clearwater, and Idaho
Counties are 12%, 13.5%, and 16.3% respectively, below the poverty level.
Table 4: Deaths from Accidents per 100,000
Area
Deaths per 100,000
Percent Higher in North
Central area
North Central Idaho
57.2
Idaho
44.1
28%
United States
34.4
40%
FROM ANOTHER GRANT
Introduction: Our target area is a land of immense distances and extreme isolation.
Small towns nestle among the rolling prairies, huddle in deep river canyons, or perch on
high mountain ranges; roads connecting these communities are narrow and treacherous.
Bad weather and poor infrastructure further hamper communications. Dependent on
basic natural resource-based industries for the last century, the region is reeling from the
impact of economic restructuring with few resources to facilitate diversified economic
development. High unemployment in rural areas, severe underemployment throughout
the region, low educational achievement, and limited access/exposure to technology
characterize much of the workforce. While urban centers in Washington and Idaho
boomed, our region wallowed in mine and mill closings, declining tax revenues, and the
hemorrhaging of skilled young people to urban job markets. Caught between declining
local revenues and the loss of timber income from National Forests (Over 70% of land in
the region is owned by Federal and State government), we struggle to find strategies that
will offer our people an opportunity to change their destiny though access to a quality
education.
Both Idaho and Washington have recognized that workforce development is the
essential tool for turning around decades of decline and poverty in this region and
particularly within the more rural areas. It is to this need, our proposal speaks. Our EOC
program will assist these dislocated and displaced workers and their family members in
finding good jobs through outreach, counseling, and support services.
Target Area: The specific areas targeted by this program include counties identified by
the Idaho Governor’s Rural Task Force (Governor’s Office, 200) as in distress as well as
the rapidly growing area around Coeur d’Alene, and the Southeastern counties of
Washington, one of which has the highest rate of poverty in the state.
A. Need for an Educational Opportunity Center
A high number or percentage, or both, of low-income families residing in the target area (34
CFR 655.21 (a) (1))
Since the best data on income at the county level comes from the census, and
those table are not yet available for 2000, we will supplement data from 1990 with
additional resources. As indicated in Table 1, approximately 61,932 people (26.5%) in
the region meet the low income criterion, a number that continues to grow, particularly in
the distressed counties. These counties and the majority of communities with populations
under 1000 exceed the poverty levels associated with more urban areas, yet they have the
least local resources with which to aid those impacted by poverty and economic change.
According to the recent report, “Hardships in America: The Real Story of Working
Families,” from the Economic Policy Institute (2001), the national median basic family
budget is $33,511. In rural Idaho the number is $29,109. Thirty-nine point eight percent
of all families in Idaho have incomes that fall below the basic family budget compared to
the national rate of 28.9%. In addition, a recent Lewiston Morning Tribune article
(August 6, 2001) reported that the median annual income for working women in Idaho
(less than $12,500) is the lowest in the nation. Furthermore, the recent report to the
Governor’s Task Force on Rural Development reports that the average per capita income
in rural counties averages 90% of the state per capita income and 2/3 of the national per
capita income.
Table I:
County
Low Income Statistics
Income <1.50 Below
Poverty Level
Population for Whom
Poverty Status was
Determined
% With Income
<1.50 of Poverty
Level
Idaho
Boundary
Bonner
2,427
7,825
6,059
26,345
30.1.
29.7
Kootenai
Shoshone
Benewah
Latah
Clearwater
Nez Perce
Lewis
Idaho
1,5954
3,813
2,375
8,096
1,864
7,401
982
3,914
68,932
13,727
7,832
27,427
8,026
33,216
3,486
13,359
23.1
25.9
30.3
29.5
23.2
22.3
28.2
29.3
423
1,255
5,063
61,392
2,198
3,910
17,208
231,725
19.2
32.1
29.4
26.5
Washington
Garfield
Columbia
Asotin
Total
*Source:
1990 Census
A high number of percentage, or both, of individual residing in the target area with educational
completion levels below the baccalaureate level (34 CFR 655.21 (a) (2))
Again, we are dependent on 1990 census data for basic statistics which show
126,862 first generation individuals in the target area or 82% of the population with
educational completion below the baccalaureate level. As an example of need, the
educational level for Region II of Idaho was established at 12.3 years in 1970. This
median level fell to 12 years in 1990 according to Department of Employment statistics.
Year 2000 census data by state indicates further decline as Idaho dropped from 39th to
40th in educational achievement compared to other states. The Department of
Employment reports that XX percent of those applying for unemployment lacked higher
education experience.
To further support our evidence on the numbers of first-generation individuals in
the area, LCSC admission statistics show 81% of new students are first generation and
80% of currently enrolled students are first generation. Since LCSC alone has
consistently collected this information, our data is the best available in the region.
In summary, as indicated in Table II, approximately 126,862 potential first
generation students with education completion below the baccalaureate level reside in the
LCSC/EOC area. These adults are in need of educational access in order to retrain for
jobs, escape a poverty existence, and/or cope with the changing economic conditions. In
addition the rapid infusion of technology into all aspects of today’s work world requires
additional training and education for those who seek living wage jobs.
Table II:
COUNTIES
& CITIES
DROP OUT
#
IDAHO
Boundary
Bonner’s Ferry
Bonner
Sandpoint
Kootenai
Coeur d’Alene
Worley
Shoshone
Wallace
Kellogg
Mullan
Pinehurst
Benewah
St. Maries
Plummer
Latah
Potlatch
Juliaetta
Kendrick
Deary
Bovill
Clearwater
Orofino
Weippe
Pierce
Nez Perce
Lewiston
Lapwai
Caldesac
44219
1266
295
3858
810
8530
3093
33
2784
183
529
205
338
1287
415
104
2220
141
143
55
43
41
1556
467
89
98
4463
3530
116
85
First Generation Statistics
HIGH
SCHOOL
SOME
COLLEGE
ASSOC.
DEGREE
BA OR
HIGHER
%
#
#
#
#
.07.4
25.4
21.0
21.8
23.3
18.9
24.5
30.8
29.9
27.0
30.6
37.5
30.3
25.8
26.4
25.1
13.4
27.2
39.6
25.2
14.1
24.4
27.0
23.6
27.8
22.5
20.0
19.1
25.2
37.0
182892
1916
547
6324
1073
13421
4394
31
3542
337
552
213
449
190
623
134
3787
200
110
102
143
84
2184
718
133
184
6964
789
124
79
%
30.4
38.4
39.2
35.8
30.8
30.0
27.7
29.0
38.0
22.8
31.9
38.9
40.2
38.3
39.6
32.4
22.8
38.5
30.5
46.8
47.0
50.0
37.4
36.3
41.6
42.3
31.3
31.4
26.9
34.3
145291
950
269
3767
830
11930
4310
21
1732
108
394
87
170
995
301
88
3486
88
64
17
64
20
1139
411
66
86
5170
4311
144
34
%
24.2
19.0
19.3
21.3
23.8
26.5
27.1
19.6
18.6
15.9
22.8
15.9
15.7
20.0
19.1
21.3
21.0
17.0
17.7
7.8
21.2
11.9
19.5
20.8
20.6
19.8
23.3
23.4
31.2
14.8
45187
192
57
1058
159
3999
1376
12
420
46
75
22
74
352
89
54
1177
45
22
23
23
14
297
117
17
18
2160
1809
39
15
%
07.5
3.9
4.0
6.0
4.5
8.9
8.7
11.2
4.5
6.8
4.3
4.0
6.6
7.0
5.7
13.0
7.1
8.7
6.1
10.6
7.6
8.3
5.1
5.9
5.3
4.1
9.7
9.8
8.5
6.5
10615
662
224
2682
605
7203
2708
10
835
111
181
20
86
438
144
34
5946
45
22
21
31
9
669
265
15
49
3475
3008
38
17
%
17.6
31.2
16.1
15.0
17.4
16.0
17.1
9.3
9.0
16.4
10.5
3.6
7.7
8.8
9.2
8.2
35.8
8.7
6.1
9.6
10.2
5.4
11.4
13.4
4.7
11.3
15.6
16.3
8.2
7.4
EOC TARGET
#
%
4324
86.7
15007
84.9
37880
84.3
8478
91.0
2824
91.1
10670
64.3
5176
89.0
18757
84.3
Lewis
Winchester
Kamiah
Craigmont
Idaho
Grangeville
Riggins
Cottonwood
Kooskia
493
59
244
61
2280
525
103
105
177
21.2
28.8
32.0
17.7
25.0
24.2
35.5
18.7
39.3
905
82
268
163
3363
799
95
187
156
40.0
40.0
35.1
47.4
36.8
36.8
32.8
33.3
35.0
478
36
126
56
1764
408
63
123
56
20.6
17.6
16.5
16.3
19.31
8.8
21.7
21.9
12.4
143
10
30
19
578
117
12
47
18
6.2
4.9
3.9
5.5
6.3
5.4
4.0
8.4
4.0
306
18
95
45
1157
319
17
100
43
13.2
8.8
12.5
13.1
12.7
14.7
5.9
17.8
9.6
2019
88.0
7985
87.4
785
555
288
222
2605
1405
110
28.2
31.8
18.2
21.4
22.8
32.0
17.3
795
424
543
369
3830
1382
244
28.6
24.3
34.3
35.6
33.5
31.5
38.4
497
292
339
204
2647
1012
162
17.9
16.7
21.4
19.6
23.2
23.1
25.5
286
166
195
115
932
187
49
10.3
9.5
12.3
11.1
8.2
4.3
7.7
419
307
217
129
1411
403
71
15.1
17.6
13.7
12.4
12.4
9.2
11.2
2363
85.0
1365
86.2
10014
87.7
126862
82.4
WASHINGTON
Columbia
Dayton
Garfield
Pomeroy
Asotin
Clarkston
Asotin
Total EOC Target
*Source: 1990 Census
Table IV
County
Asotin
Columbia
Garfield
Benewah
Bonner
Boundary
Clearwater
Idaho
Kootenai
Latah
Lewis
Nez Perce
Total
Population
20,551
4,064
2,397
9,119
35,226
9,800
9,310
15,066
101,390
32,051
4,007
36,852
13,870
#
Pop/Poverty
3,308
514
251
1,312
5,194
1,628
1,171
2,309
10,565
4,103
613
4,186
3,009
%
Pop/Poverty
15.6
12.5
10.9
14.6
15.1
16.7
13.1
15.7
11.0
13.3
15.1
11.4
21.4
% Single
Parent
over/under
average
# School
Lunches
Drop Out
over/under
average
+3%
+13%
+1%
+15%
-20%
+6%
-12%
-20%
+23%
+35%
482
1,435
384
402
656
2,897
721
302
1,046
443
+11%
+26%
+56%
+41%
-24%
-16%
-81%
+20%
-27%
+41%
17.6%
46,947
9%
NA
NA
NA
Shoshone
State of Idaho
1,228,684
State of
Washington
5,894,121
149,245
574,475
12.6%
9.6%
Sources:
*Idaho KIDS COUNT 1999/2000: Profiles of Child Well-Being
*MapStats @http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/53/53003.html
*U.S. Department of Agriculture@http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/WA.htm
A high need on the part of residents of the target area for further education and training for
programs of postsecondary education in order to meet changing employment trends (34 CFR
655.21 (a) (3))
Need for Retraining: A recent article in the Coeur d’Alene Free Press (9-4-01) reported
that 1900 workers were laid off, many of them leaving natural resource-based industries.
Our target area includes the area now under consideration by congress for an Economic
Adjustment Program similar to the one enacted to address the impact of Spotted Owl
protection on the Western Coastal forests. This effort responds to the rapid decline in
forest-related jobs due to competition with the Canadian wood products as well as the
impact of environmental decisions. The price of silver has closed mines in the area as
well. Reports from both states indicate that the social service delivery system cannot
cope with the rural outreach necessary to serve these dislocated workers.
Several counties have had unemployment rates over 30% at various times in
response to these closures and five are consistently over 10%. See Table III for
unemployment rates for July 2001. While the Lewiston Clarkston area appears fortunate
with its low unemployment rate, these data obscure the enormous underemployment
problem in the region. A recent announcement indicating a call center was coming to the
area brought over 5000 applications to the Job Service in an area with barely 50,000 in
population. Clearly, this area must develop a new economic base.
The low levels of per capita income within the target area also support the data on
the need for retraining. Current job creation efforts to build on our economic base of
small manufacturing firms also require major initiatives in workforce development.
Among those initiatives must be a focus on technology. A recent survey of Upward
Bound participants within the target area indicated that 85% do not have a computer at
home. Providing access to programs that can provide technology literacy as well as
training in the use of technology will be an important LCSC/EOC contribution to the
region. Thus, the EOC program becomes critically important in assisting individuals
accessing training and educational programs.
We are currently conducting a DOL-funded regional workforce audit. Preliminary
findings indicate major declines in manufacturing particularly in relation to timber and
mining. Conversely, the healthcare sector reports a lack of qualified workers as do new
investors in technology-related businesses. While hospitality-related jobs are increasing,
these jobs and many of the existing retail jobs are low paying and lack benefits. The
region has a critical need to get good information on education and training opportunities
out to rural areas to assist those workers and their families in identifying alternative
careers. In order to improve the economic base, we must retrain workers for new types of
manufacturing and we must build our supply of technology-related workers. Thus, not
only do the residents of our target area have a need for education and retraining, the
region itself depends on increasing the capabilities of our workforce in order to retain
existing jobs and to create new ones.
Need to Technology Literacy and Technology-related Training: Underlying much of
the workforce development need is the lack of adequate technology literacy within the
workforce and the need for more people to enter the technology-related training fields.
Currently, there are several programs that offer certification for software as well as
network technicians and engineers. Several companies in the area have relocated some or
all of their operations because of the lack of skilled workers. There is then, an absolute
need to encourage more local residents to undertake training in these fields not only to
increase their income, but also to address a very real labor market shortage.
Need for Retraining for the Disabled: It is not only the decline in these industries that
creates a need for retraining, but also the nature of the work. Logging, mining,
agriculture, and mill workers have some of the highest accident rates. According to local
advocates, 13% of the population in the target area are disabled. (See Table III.) These
!5,000 workers must retrain as well. In addition, many communities in the target area
have higher than average special education populations. Of those who are disabled, Idaho
ranks among the top ten states in the number of disabled who are working (Chart Book
on Work and Disability, 1998). Finally, the target region has a higher-than-average
percentage of veterans of whom 25% are disabled. With assistance in accessing
educational and training programs, these populations can take advantage of the new
developments in technology to take advantage of many newly available opportunities.
Indeed, we have been in discussion with a potential call center business on providing
training with assistive technology to potential workers who have had the necessary
training.
TABLE III
OTHER SPECIAL POPULATIONS
COUNTY
Boundary
TOTAL
POPULATION
8332
WORK
DISABLED
266
% OF FEMALE HEAD OF
HOUSEHOLD BELOW
POVERTY LEVEL
1,126
33.7
VETRANS
Bonner
Kootenai
Shoshone
Benewah
Latah
Clearwater
Nez Perce
Lewis
Idaho
Garfield
Columbia
Asotin
Total
*Source:
26,622
69,795
13,931
7,937
30,617
8,505
33,754
3,516
13,783
2,248
4,024
17,605
2,019
4,041
1,170
658
1,371
621
2,163
266
948
118
266
1,423
4,153
10,164
2,070
1,091
2,819
1,372
4,774
509
2,059
3
5
2,337
240,669
1990 Census
15,330
32,482
37.1
31.0
43.8
38.9
31.3
39.5
37.0
44.4
47.3
38.9
42.4
51.0
Need for Training for Single-Heads of Households: An ever increasing number of
household are now headed by single women due to a teen age pregnancy rate over 25% in
the rural communities, the disruptions of families caused by lay-offs and men working
out of the area, and the overall increase in divorce. Members of this group are likely to
be low income. As indicated earlier, working women in Idaho have the lowest median
income. Most of these families are also first generation and many have not completed
high school. The changes in Idaho’s welfare program limit services as well as
opportunities. Many of the former welfare clients occupy low-paying dead-end jobs.
For these women and their children education and training opportunities are the most
effective strategies for escaping poverty, but resources to access these opportunities are
not available to women, particularly in remote areas.
Other indicators of need for an EOC project, including the presence of unaddressed academic
or socio-economic problems of adult residents in the target area (34 CFR 655.21 (a) (4))
High-school drop out population: The high numbers of high school drop outs provide
additional evidence for an EOC. As indicated in Table II, the drop out rate for high
school students in the target area ranges from 13% in Latah county (which also includes
the University of Idaho) to 29.9% in Shoshone County for a total of approximately
14,400 individuals. Among these drop outs are a high percentage of female heads of
households.
Veteran Population: Pat Nadeau, the State Veterans Education Specialist, confirms that
there is a large number of veterans eligible for educational benefits residing in the target
area. In 1990, there were 32,000 veterans representing 25% of Idaho population.
According to Job Service, 23% of dislocated workers served in our region were veterans,
a figure estimated to reflect on 15% of the real need. Serving this population has been
problematic because many of them do not take advantage of their benefits due to distance
and isolation. Our EOC will work closely with veteran representatives and national guard
units to provide services to this population.
Minority Populations: Two Indian Reservations are located in the target area. While
recent developments in casino gambling have lowered their past unemployment rates of
over 50%, unemployment and lower-than-average per capita income impact a much
higher percentage of Indian people than is true for the white population. National figures
as well as conversations with tribal members indicate that the most critical needs among
this population include remedial and tutorial assistance as well as personal counseling to
handle cultural stresses while confronting the rigors of a postsecondary program. By
building on our existing relationships and joint projects with the Tribes and coordinating
with other TRIO programs, the EOC can make a real difference in the number of Indian
people entering and completing educational programs.
Lack of Existing Services in the Target Area: Recruitment, counseling, financial aid
and support services currently offered to the rural areas through the postsecondary
institutions in the target area do not meet the needs of the target population. For example,
while institutions of higher education have put more resources into recruiting adult
students particularly to technology-mediated programs, these outreach efforts typically
target employees in particular industries, but do not have a focus on outreach to adult
students or off-campus programs in rural areas. While the needs of rural adults have
become more apparent and the barriers they must overcome better understood, there is
also no systematic method of providing comprehensive outreach to these rural areas.
Student services staff at each of the postsecondary institutions focus most of their
recruitment efforts and budget on attracting high school seniors or transfer students and
retaining currently enrolled students. Each institution, for example, provides one
financial aid information meeting per semester at selected regional high schools. Followup and further information are channeled through high school counselors who do not
typically convey information beyond high school college-bound students. Rarely is an
attempt made to contact, recruit, or provide individual assistance to economically or
educationally disadvantaged, non-traditional, or disabled adults, Native Americans or
veterans. Most of these counselors also lack the specialized knowledge and training
necessary to effectively assist these adults in returning to school.
We know, however, beyond a doubt that both the need for educational access and
the interest in achieving educational goals exists in these small communities. We learned
recently that 5 people who attended an information meeting in Deary, a small logging
community of about 600 have since completed their degrees. Outreach does work!
School district superintendents in the target area report that only about 40% of
their high school graduates attend college. In addition, no programs exist to serve special
needs groups beyond high school age. Furthermore, many communities have few
residents with higher education experience (school teachers) so that there is a dearth of
both role models and local information on options. Thus, interest in, and the need for,
educational opportunity is high within the target area, yet access is limited not only by the
constraints of postsecondary institutions bus also by the unique barriers facing rural
adults seeking educational opportunity. Furthermore, while the national average of
expenditures per pupil is $6,508, Idaho ranks 45th with and average expenditure of
$5,066. Washington’s average per pupil is better at $6110, but still below the national
average (Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 1998-99)
Since all evidence points to a continuing decline in traditional employment
opportunities, the barriers of income and distance clearly impact rural adults learners and
their opportunities for educational advancement. Higher education in both Idaho and
Washington struggles with funding challenges. Other agencies such a Community Action
Agencies, community service groups (Bovill Improvement Group) and state agencies like
Health and Welfare and Department of Employment assist clients with immediate needs
for social services and employment, but lack the resources to provide educational
counseling. Many programs which previously had focused on basic skills, self –esteem,
and literacy have been cut eliminating outreach efforts and truncating programs. NIC,
LCSC, and Walla Walla all offer Adult Basic Education Programs and programs for
dislocated and displaced workers. Staff from these offices report an overwhelming
demand for services particularly off campus. Furthermore, follow up for these
participants is sporadic and superficial as staff must focus their resources on core
programs.
Access is not the only problem. Current recruiting strategies tend to focus on each
institution selling its own programs rather than identifying client needs and resources to
meet those needs. The EOC will provide services to assist adults in assessing their needs
and abilities, exploring their career options, and providing information on a variety of
educational offerings. As a cooperative venture supported by all the regional
postsecondary institutions, the EOC program can bring up-to-date information as well as
needed services to adults within their community.
Rural adults face additional barriers. A national study on barriers to rural adults
education (McDaniels, et.al.,1986) lists six types of barriers: state policy barriers,
institutional barriers, personal/situational barriers, psychological barriers, and
informational barriers. LCSC/EOC has developed a triage model that successfully
addresses these barriers by linking to local networks and resources while accessing an
effective referral network.
Because the need is so great and the problems of cost-effectiveness in serving
small rural communities are so challenging, staff responsible for providing postsecondary
educational programs in the target area offer enthusiastic support for EOC activities.
They see the program as a solution to the barriers facing returning adults and they
understand the need for a comprehensive re-entry program that customizes educational
services rather than forcing standardized programs on rural adults.
Summary of Need: Based on the 1990 census and supported by additional data, the
LCSC/EOC target area has a two-thirds eligibility population of approximately 62,000
individuals which we estimate to be about 40% of the population in the target area. The
desperate need for education in the area results from the massive economic changes in
traditional rural industries. Thus, the LCSC/EOC will address three specific needs. In
addressing the academic need, we will provide a referral source for existing academic
services and establish alternative delivery services where feasible including diagnostic
testing, workshops, development seminars, tutoring, collaborative efforts, access to
computers and technology literacy training. In assisting adults with access, we will
collect and distribute information on admissions and financial aid, provide assistance in
filling out the forms, and monitor participant outcomes. Critical to the success of all our
efforts, our system for coordinating services and programs will utilize advisory
committees and electronic communications to establish open lines of communication
among providers and sources of referral and to work on eliminating barriers.