Tuolumne County Public Schools Face Declining Number Of Students

Public schools have been back in session for the past month and the Superintendent of Tuolumne County Public Schools, Joseph Silva, was Wednesday’s KVML "Newsmaker of the Day".

There are four Public High Schools in Tuolumne County, all with trends of declining enrollment but according to Silva, Tuolumne County is not isolated. The majority of the fifty eight Counties in California are facing declining enrollment. Silva says that trend should change over time with more jobs and affordable housing.

Silva added, "With the closure of the S.P.I. mill and a few of the larger stores, the schools were expecting three to four hundred fewer students and that would eventually cost the district approximately $2 million. We are currently down about 250 students."

On a positive side, Silva can’t help but be pleased after having received the latest API results (Academic Performance Index) for Tuolumne County’s schools. Seventy percent of every school in Tuolumne County, increased their API score from last year. Every elementary school, with the exception of one, has surpassed the standard score of 800, as set by the State of California. 

The Newsmaker of the Day can be heard each weekday morning at 6:47, 7:47 and 8:47 on AM-1450 KVML.

 Written by mark@mlode.com