The Carmel School District is recognized as one of the best school districts in California. (Great Schools ranking of the Carmel School District.) With the financial pressure on public schools given the California budget crisis, some neighboring districts are suffering with growing class sizes and reduced resources. We are lucky that the Carmel School district is well run and has a history of excellence along with a healthy tax base (although not as healthy as it once was.) We are also in a community accustomed to contributing time and money to the school. In fact, the schools are so well loved that folks in their seventies whose children attend the school 40 years ago still show up to voice their support at school board meetings.
Last year there was a great deal of concern on the part of parents, and discussion on the part of the School Board about overcrowding at Carmel River School, one of the three elementary schools in the district. One option under discussion was moving the River School Boundary. The Board of the Carmel School District reviewed a collection of options and arrived at a strategy to deal with the increased student load at River School.
In the end, no boundary changes were made partly because of California budget issues. Prior to this current crisis there was a state program that allocated “class-size reduction funds” to schools that maintain class ratio of just over 20 students per teacher. With those funds not available at the moment, the financial impact of having more than 20 students per class became negligible and the hardship of shifting the boundary on the community was such that no change was made.
In 2012/2013 the state funds are expected to again become available. Current classes at River School range from 21 to 25 students per teacher. Enrollement at the moment is 506 kids, up from 480 kids last year and 460 in 2008/2009.
The school board is slated to discuss the issue, and long term plans to address overcrowding, at their October 6th meeting.
