For over two decades, California’s public school enrollment has been on a decline.
After peaking at 6.4 million in 2004, enrollment tumbled to 5.8 million in 2023, in part because of the pandemic. Between 2015 and 2023 alone, the state lost nearly 390,000 students, or about 6 percent of enrollment.
What we’re seeing here: San Diego Unified, the second-largest district in California, has fared even worse. Over the same period, the district lost more than 11,300 students, or about 10.5 percent of its total enrollment.
As KPBS recently reported, at a budget workshop, district leaders announced they’re projecting to lose even more students in the coming year. According to figures included in a budget presentation, the district projects it will lose 741 students between the current school year and the next. If those numbers prove true it will mean the district has lost 12,500 students, or about 11.6 percent of its total enrollment, over the past decade.
Luckily for district leaders, the declines have slowed in recent years from a high of 3,165 between the 2019 to 2020 school years. But it doesn’t seem there are a whole lot of reasons to be optimistic the trend will reverse course.
One big thing: Places like San Diego, where the cost of living is prohibitively high, have been particularly hard hit by enrollment declines and population dips. Between 2022 and 2023, for example, nearly 31,000 people moved out of San Diego County. That was the county’s largest outflow in three decades, save for the first year of the pandemic.
During a recent interview on the VOSD Podcast, Board President Cody Petterson, who represents sub-district C, said similar cost of living patterns are playing out within the district.
“There’s just no kids. It’s very difficult … young families can’t afford to live there,” Petterson said.
South County Report: Higher Levels of Toxic Chemicals in Water
South Bay’s largest water provider learned last month that its main reservoir could require millions in treatment or be taken out of service entirely because of cancer-causing chemicals in the water.
Background: The Sweetwater Authority learned last year that its Sweetwater Reservoir tested high for PFAS levels, which required public notification. The test is a new requirement from the Environmental Protection Agency.
As part of that required testing, another sample taken last month showed even higher levels of PFOA, a class of industrial chemicals used in products like electronic devices and fire retardants.
Jim Hinch reports that if this trend continues in follow-up testing, that could mean the agency will have to decommission the reservoir, pay for expensive new treatment or buy water from another water agency and mix it into its water supply.
Read more in the South County Report here.
Song of the Week
The Band Cope, ”submarine”: There’s an intoxicatingly meditative and confessional nature to the lyrics and though we don’t know who Olivia is or what road trip through Arizona lead singer Ellie Cope is referring to, we know the emotional truths she’s communicating. And when you’re hit with lyrics as evocative and emotionally charged as “I pray with tears to a god I heard you talk to,” context isn’t all that important. Read more about the song of the week here.
Like what you hear? Catch The Band Cope on Friday, Feb. 14 at The Ken Club.
Do you have a “Song of the Week” suggestion? Shoot us an email and a sentence or two about why you’ve been bumping this song lately. Friendly reminder: all songs should be by local artists.
In Other News
- As the city of Chula Vista projects continued growth, the City Council on Tuesday approved plans to hire more police. (Union-Tribune)
- With Mayor Todd Gloria’s Hope @ Vine mega shelter officially dead, the City Council is now studying a new potential downtown site. (Union-Tribune)
- Four San Diego congress members are pleading with President Donald Trump not to enact strict caps on National Institute of Health research grants that would wipe out $800 million in funds for California universities. (Times of San Diego)
- The Flower Fields in Carlsbad will welcome guests in March. Get your Instagram poses ready. (Times of San Diego)
The Morning Report was written by Jakob McWhinney and Andrea Lopez-Villafaña. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.