Lisa Butler, School Dist. 5 Homeless Student Liaison Retires

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

After more than 20 years of service, Anderson School Dist. 5’s liaison to homeless students and students in foster care is retiring.

Lisa Butler has become a statewide expert on how public schools can address serving students with no permanent address, and said the challenges continue to grow. Between 300-350 students in Dist. 5 have no permanent address.

These students may live in a shelter, motel, vehicle, campground, on the street or they might couch surf with relatives.

“She’s the guru,” said Kyle Newton, Assistant Superintendent for External Affairs at Dist. 5. “She’s known across the state as the go-to person for the homeless program.”

Newton said the district will miss “her overwhelming generosity toward people and mankind.”

“She cares about the people that she serves, and she cares about the families,” said Newton, adding that her expertise and institutional knowledge will be difficult to replace.