State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Hosts Summit Focused on Solutions to Declining School Enrollment

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond recently hosted “From Managing Decline to Building a Sustainable Future for California Schools,” a virtual summit bringing together education leaders and partners from across California to examine the demographic and fiscal forces driving declining enrollment and explore solutions for building a more sustainable public education system.

The summit focused on strategies California can consider as schools and districts adapt to sustained enrollment decline, including moving from an attendance-based to an enrollment-based funding model, providing more predictable and sustainable funding, creating engaging programs and learning opportunities for students, better meeting the needs of families, and helping local educational agencies plan earlier for enrollment changes.

“Declining enrollment is one of the defining challenges facing California public education, and simply managing decline is not a long-term strategy,” Superintendent Thurmond said. “We need to look seriously at whether the way we fund our schools is keeping pace with the realities districts are facing. That includes exploring an enrollment-based funding model that can provide greater stability and predictability as districts plan for the future, while continuing our work to improve attendance. It also means investing in things that make families choose public schools, such as engaging programs, strong Community Schools, supports for working families, and learning environments where students want to be. We have an opportunity to respond to declining enrollment by strengthening public education, not simply shrinking it.”

During the summit, California Department of Education (CDE) Chief Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction and Chief of Staff David Schapira provided an overview of California’s current attendance-based school funding system and discussed an enrollment-based model as one approach to providing districts with greater long-term stability and predictability as enrollment declines. California is one of only five states that uses the Average Daily Attendance funding model. Participants discussed the importance of maintaining a strong focus on improving student attendance as part of any potential change to the funding model.

Participants also heard the latest enrollment trends and demographic projections and explored strategies that schools and districts can use now, including better understanding what attracts and retains students and families in public schools, offering programs and learning experiences families value, strengthening Community Schools and family supports, improving student engagement, and reimagining underused facilities.

To hear the full remarks from Superintendent Thurmond, Chief Deputy Superintendent Schapira, and other panelists, a recording of the summit “From Managing Decline to Building a Sustainable Future for California Schools” can be viewed on the CDE Facebook page .

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100