The Morongo Unified School District Enrollment Committee met Wednesday evening to continue discussions on potential school consolidations as the district addresses declining enrollment and a growing budget deficit.
The Enrollment Committee, a group of local parent and community volunteers formed in January by the Board of Education, is tasked with reviewing enrollment and facilities data and making recommendations. Any final decisions will be made by the Board of Education.
The meeting opened with a review of the district’s Second Interim Report, which projects more than $7 million in deficit spending for the current fiscal year. District officials said deficit spending is expected to continue without structural changes.
Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education Dr. Gracie Gutierrez outlined key funding challenges, including the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), noting that funding is tied to student enrollment rather than individual campuses but must still be distributed across all school sites resulting in diluted programming.
“Our responsibility is to ensure the long-term stability of the district while continuing to provide equitable educational opportunities for all students,” Superintendent Dr. Patricio Vargas said. “These discussions are necessary to align our resources with current and projected enrollment.”
Public comment lasted approximately 90 minutes, with community members voicing strong support for maintaining their local schools.
Following public comment, the committee discussed scenarios presented at the last meeting and decided on two scenarios to present to the board for consideration. The first scenario includes maintaining all current schools with boundary adjustments and converting Joshua Tree Elementary School (JTES) to a TK–8 campus. The second scenario includes potentially closing Landers Elementary School and adjusting attendance boundaries across campuses.
Committee members emphasized they would recommend closing Landers Elementary only after upgrades are made to Yucca Mesa Elementary School, the potential receiving campus. They indicated that these improvements should address parking, traffic circulation, restrooms and shared spaces. District officials also clarified that if the schools are consolidated, class sizes at Yucca Mesa Elementary would not increase, as they are required to remain at levels set by the teachers’ union contract.
Landers Elementary has experienced declining enrollment for several years and is projected to serve approximately 100 students by the 2027–28 school year. All classes at the school are combination classes of multiple grade levels due to low enrollment.
The committee also recommended the board authorize a geotechnical trenching study at Palm Vista Elementary School. A planned six-classroom construction project at the campus was halted in 2009 after a California Geological Survey identified a fault line about half a mile away, with four potential spurs running near the site.
The committee is expected to draft a formal report outlining their recommendations, which will be reviewed at their next meeting on May 13. Any final decisions would be made by the Board of Education at a later time. Committee members will also review district properties that may be declared surplus. A public hearing on potential surplus property designations is expected at the end of May.
For more information, visit https://www.morongousd.com/page/enrollment-committee.