Rural Schools Funded
Sonora, CA — Mother Lode Schools are breathing a sigh of relief now that the Senate has passed the Rural Schools legislation. It will bring one million dollars to area public schools. Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties annually rely on the Secure Rural Schools and Self Determination Act funding. It was initially approved several years ago to offset declining revenues that resulted from placing tighter restrictions on the timber industry. Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools Joe Silva is cheering the move.
“This means that schools will have more money this school year than they anticipated. Nobody put it in their budgets because we weren’t sure we were going to have it so now there is going to be extra money. Each district gets a pot of that money and so they’ll be making the decision on how they want to spend it.”
The bill must now be signed by President Barack Obama by October 1st. The bill passed the senate 97 to 2.
