Declining enrollment at public schools in the north county may cost school district’s millions of dollars. Paso Robles school district Chief Business Officer Brad Pawlowski says the district lost 208 students from last year. The Atascadero school district lost 100 students.
By comparison, Lucia Mar school district in the south county lost 344 students. San Luis Coastal lost 226 students.
For those districts funded by the state, it means a loss in revenue.
The causes for declining enrollment include unemployment which reached 14% in the county, down from 3%. That forced many families to simply move out of the area. Other families moved their kids to private schools which remained open during the shutdown at public schools. Others enrolled kids in independent home study programs like that offered by the Templeton school district.
