Monday, September 21, 2009

Rural school adjusts to dwindling population, less state support

Today's California Report, aired on public radio stations around the state of California, featured news of the Potter Valley Community Unified School District. Listen to it here. The district has responded to population loss and shrinking revenues by moving to a four-day school week. On the fifth day, folks from the area come in to teach skills such as gardening and cooking.

Potter Valley, in Mendocino County, is not a Census Designated Place, but Mendocino County is a vast nonmetropolitan county in northern California. It rests along the coast north of Sonoma County, but also stretches inland to agricultural areas like Potter Valley. The county's population is 86,680, with a population density of about 25 persons per square mile.

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