This Week on the Central Coast
Monterey gives a timeline regarding the closure of three schools and the Monterey One Water Project is one step closer towards its completion.
MPUSD will close three schools in the next two years.
In the next two years, Highland and Foothill Elementary and Colton Hall Middle Schools will be closing. The closures are due to a decline in enrollment over the past 10 years which was only magnified by the pandemic. “California funds schools based on attendance. MPUSD is losing an average of 150 students per year, which translates to losing $2 million in funding.”
Superintendent Diffenbaugh explained that there are simply not enough students living in the city of Monterey to justify having five schools open. The difficult decision was part of a choice that had to be made: cut programs or close the schools. “MPUSD offers different programs at its campuses such as early childhood education, career technical education, mental health, art programs and more.”
Though the aging population is a large factor in the decline of enrollment, it isn’t the only one; the high cost of living in the Monterey Peninsula also drives away many younger families. Diffenbaugh says the closures will not lead to layoffs. They plan on relocating the existing staff to other locations rather than hire from outside of the area.
Monterey One Water Project is one step closer to completion.
The project, once completed, will increase the amount of recycled water available to the Monterey Peninsula. If the expansion gets approved, the project is estimated to meet about 60 percent of the Peninsula’s water needs. This is especially important since the state has halted significant pumping from Carmel River.
The Monterey One water Project uses “state-of-the-art technologies” to purify recycled water to exceed all drinking water standards. Then, the water can be stored and delivered to Pure Water Monterey’s customers.
