Twin Rivers School District Will Likely Close Schools Due To Low Enrollment, Budget Deficit

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Twin Rivers Unified School District may close several schools because of low enrollment.

The district has 46 kindergarten through 12th-grade schools, which has led to under-enrolled campuses and staffing problems, according to a letter from the district superintendent, Steve Martinez.

Additionally, the district is facing a $3.8 million budget deficit, despite $16.9 million in budget reductions in the last two fiscal years. In his letter to families, Martinez said the reductions are “not enough.”

Earlier this year, the school board appointed a Student Housing Committee (SHC) to review the board’s policy on student housing issues such as optimal school size, grade configurations, school consolidations and more. Based on the SHC’s recommendation, the board approved a new grade configuration for Twin Rivers schools as they move forward.

According to Martinez’s letter, this would be the new grade configuration:

• Elementary (Grades K – 6) 700 students; Elementary (Grade K – 8) 900 students

• Intermediate (Grades 7 – 8) 1,000 students

• Secondary (Grades 9 – 12) 2,000 students

Right now, there are 15 configurations, which have led to under-enrolled schools and staffing problems.

Martinez said the SHC has not yet made any recommendations to close schools, but they have reviewed five scenarios for closing schools.

A series of meetings have been planned over the next few months to figure out what’s next for the district. The next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 15.