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‘This is great news’: Skamania school district hails long-awaited reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools fund

Lack of money forced Stevenson-Carson School District to close middle school, cut staff, more

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Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, visits a classroom at Stevenson High School during the 2024-25 school year. (Contributed by the Office of Marie Gluesenkamp Perez)

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, visits a classroom at Stevenson High School during the 2024-25 school year. (Contributed by the Office of Marie Gluesenkamp Perez)

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez answers questions during a press conference at Mount Pleasant School in Washougal on Feb. 20. (Taylor Balkom/The Columbian files)

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez answers questions during a press conference at Mount Pleasant School in Washougal on Feb. 20. (Taylor Balkom/The Columbian files)

Rural schools in Southwest Washington are heartened by news that a bill restoring critical federal funding is headed to President Donald Trump’s desk.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools program after a nearly two-year lapse that forced schools across the United States, including one in rural Skamania County, to make significant budget cuts.

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