DECLINING BIRTH RATE IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY,
2006 TO 2016
“Our commitment to project-based
learning remains our central focus,
and we are pursuing a Universal
Design for Learning (UDL)
initiative that provides teachers
with strategies and tools to meet
the needs of all students.”
Susan Pfefferlen, Principal,
Charter School of Morgan Hill
SOURCE: PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA
accountability. Each school district’s goals and programs
must be defined within the state-mandated Local Control
Accountability Plan (LCAP). Beyond the LCAP, data on the
progress of districts and their schools is made available
in the California School Dashboard. LCAP and LCFF
information and access to the Dashboard can be found on
the websites of both school districts.
State funding is based in part on Average Daily
Attendance. School districts are paying close attention
to absenteeism (and truancy) not only to ensure positive
student outcomes but also to protect the funding that
supports those outcomes.
According to MHUSD Board President Mary Patterson,
“When students miss school their learning falls behind. It
may be due to illness, lack of transportation, or some other
obstacle. It’s important to engage with students and their
families to create awareness, support and accountability
around this. Strengthening student and parent engagement
with the school community is one of the three top goals
for our district and creative steps are being taken to
reach this goal.”
New Governor, New Budget
When Governor Gavin Newsom released his budget proposal
in January, it included $80.7 billion in funding for K-12
and community colleges. He also included several one-
time allocations: $750 million to broaden access to full-
day kindergarten, $3 billion to fund the CalSTRS pension
of schools (the employers), and $576 million for special
education programs in school districts of high need. His
budget would also fund two years of tuition-free community
college for first-time, full-time students.
Meanwhile, state legislators introduced AB 39, which calls
for new K-12 dollars to be added to the LCFF base funding
formula—possibly enough to raise California’s average per-
student spending and move California into the top 10 states
in the nation. At the time of this writing, AB 39 was in Ed
Finance Committee review.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
The LCFF is just one facet of California’s education
economics. Other factors pose challenges for our
public schools.
Declining Birthrate
According to Flores, there’s another challenge to getting
necessary state funding. The birth rate is declining in Santa
Clara County (and nationwide), contributing to a trend of
declining enrollment.
GUSD has 950 senior students, and less than 700
kindergarteners. Morgan Hill Unified has 617 seniors and
537 kindergarteners.
“We are projecting zero growth, and a possible decline of
as many as two hundred students,” Flores said, noting that
declining enrollment over the last three years has cost the
Gilroy school district $3.7 million.
“We’re projecting enrollment conservatively for now,”
Betando said. “We will also staff conservatively, using some
temporary teachers, and hiring based on enrollment.”
High Cost of Housing
In Santa Clara County, new housing is too expensive for
young families, dual income or not. The housing crisis has
triggered higher rents too. Some couples are waiting longer to
have kids or leaving California for states with more affordable
housing options.
According to Flores, “In Gilroy developments like Glen
Loma, and new affordable housing units like Alexander
Station, we’re just not seeing the number of children we
would have expected.”
Betando agreed, “At this point we’re not seeing an impact
of Morgan Hill’s affordable housing development on rising
enrollment. It’s not so predictable these days. We’re reaching
out to parents much earlier now, encouraging them to enroll
their kindergarteners for the next school year, and then visit
the campuses and meet the teachers.”
The high cost of housing and preschool also impacts
teachers. Both school districts have offered pay increases in
april/may 2019
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