The state program that sends graduation-focused funding to Hillsboro high schools lacks adequate oversight, Oregon's auditor found Wednesday, Sept. 23.

Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read released a follow-up audit of the High School Success program, created by voters through Measure 98 in 2016 to combat chronically low graduation rates. The Oregon Department of Education, or ODE, has fully implemented just one of eight recommendations auditors made in 2024. Five are partially in place. Two show no progress.

The program channels $338 million to Oregon high schools this two-year budget cycle, funding dropout prevention, career and technical education, and college-level learning. Hillsboro School District lists the program as a key tool for supporting vulnerable students and helping them graduate. The Legislature set the rate at $977 per high school student under SB 5515, according to the district's budget page.

"Oregon's students deserve programs that deliver results, and Oregonians deserve to know that their tax dollars are making a difference," Read said, as first reported by KGW.

The audit found ODE missed a deadline to report to the Legislature by the 2026 session on which practices are working, how money is being spent and what challenges districts face. Auditors also found ODE has no formal process to document deficiencies or track corrective actions. The State Board of Education provided no evidence of reviewing identified problems, according to the audit.

This is the program's fourth audit. The 2024 review was the first to analyze spending patterns and student outcomes over time. It concluded ODE could not directly link High School Success investments to results.

ODE Director Charlene Williams said the agency agrees with the findings. The audit report states ODE leadership expected to implement all recommendations by June 2027, though Williams told KGW the department's timeline runs from February through December 2027. The department pointed to record-high statewide graduation rates of 83% and a record 86.6% of ninth graders on track to graduate.

ODE launched a pilot unified grant application in March 2026 covering 18 programs, including High School Success. Full rollout is expected in the 2027-28 school year. Regional Support Teams assigned to help districts were not expected to be fully trained until January 2027.

Hillsboro School District, led by Superintendent Travis Reiman, has not publicly addressed the audit's findings. The district has not detailed how it spends its Measure 98 allocation.

ODE's stated implementation deadline is June 2027.