By Carolyn JonesCalMatters
This story was initially printed by CalMatters. Enroll for his or her newsletters.
For greater than a century, Congress has given more money to counties with massive tracts of federal land to assist pay for colleges, roads and different essential companies. Now that monetary lifeline seems to be lifeless after Congress didn’t embrace it within the price range handed this month — a sufferer of the Trump administration’s cost-cutting measures.
The Safe Rural Colleges Act would have introduced in not less than $33 million to California counties which have land owned by the federal authorities, such because the U.S. Forest Service. The cash is meant to compensate counties for tax income they’ll’t accumulate on federally-owned land.
“This loss (is) nothing short of catastrophic,” Liam Gogan, head of the Trinity County Board of Supervisors, wrote to Congress. “This is not just a funding shortfall; it is an existential crisis. Our schools will suffer irreversible damage, emergency response will be paralyzed, and our economy — already fragile — will be pushed past the point of recovery.”
California counties from Imperial to Del Norte use Safe Rural Colleges funds for colleges and roads, however some cash additionally goes towards emergency companies, wildfire security and different wants. Final 12 months the nationwide complete was $253 million, barely a blip within the total federal price range, however a vital funding supply for rural communities which have restricted choices for elevating income.
“It’s a nonpartisan issue – we thought it would be a slam-dunk,” stated Patricia Gunderson, superintendent of faculties for Lassen County. “But it wasn’t a priority for Congress. It’s budget dust, a pebble in the big picture, and it just wasn’t on their radar.”
Within the fall, Safe Rural Colleges handed unanimously within the Senate however by no means obtained a listening to within the Home and was not included within the non permanent price range handed in December. Advocates tried once more in February, with a brand new invoice they hoped would make it into the newest price range.
However the invoice wasn’t included and isn’t more likely to cross by itself, as Congress seeks to shrink federal spending amid President Donald Trump’s orders to scale back authorities paperwork. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a Republican who co-sponsored the invoice, is “pursuing every avenue” to get it handed, his employees stated. Lots of the counties in LaMalfa’s district voted for Trump, however college officers have stated they view Safe Rural Colleges as a nonpartisan difficulty.
Advocates are additionally holding out hope, nonetheless slim.
“We’ll keep pushing, but the time for Congress to do what’s right for rural schools was yesterday,” stated Tara Thomas, authorities affairs supervisor for the College Superintendents Affiliation, a nationwide skilled advocacy group. “It’s such a miniscule program, but it’s a lifeline for districts that rely on this funding.”
Layoffs and cutbacks
Counties’ funding varies relying on how a lot U.S. Forest Service acreage they’ve. Siskiyou County, for instance, obtained $4.3 million in 2023. Trinity obtained $3.5 million. Los Angeles County, dwelling to the Angeles Nationwide Forest, obtained $1.4 million. Counties usually give half the cash to colleges and half to public works.
“It wasn’t a priority for Congress. It’s budget dust, a pebble in the big picture, and it just wasn’t on their radar.”
Patricia Gunderson, superintendent of faculties for Lassen County
In lots of college districts, the lack of funding will imply employees layoffs, cuts to after-school applications, fewer subject journeys, delayed constructing repairs and different changes. On the general public works aspect, street repairs will take longer and residents could have much less help making their houses secure from wildfires.
In Trinity County, the cuts imply that the county could have fewer crews to restore its 620 miles of roads — 120 of that are gravel. Within the rugged, distant mountains west of Mt. Shasta, it will have an effect on residents’ means to get to work and faculty, and emergency crews’ means to succeed in many components of the three,200-square-mile county, stated Panos Kokkas, the county’s transportation director.
Lots of the roads are already in unhealthy form as a consequence of storms, mudslides, wildfires and erosion, he stated. Within the closely forested area, it’s not unusual for fallen bushes to dam roads or for entire sections of street to clean away.
“People potentially could get stranded, or fire and emergency crews won’t be able to get through,” Kokkas stated. “It could be a very unsafe situation.”
In counties which are already beset by poverty and excessive unemployment, the cuts might have a ripple impact, particularly in gentle of the Trump administration’s different cuts, stated Siskiyou County Supervisor Ed Valenzuela. Reductions on the U.S. Forest Service, for instance, will imply fewer seasonal staff patronizing native companies and fewer individuals to take care of Forest Service facilities — a serious vacationer draw in the summertime, he stated.
Siskiyou and different rural counties have restricted choices for elevating the cash elsewhere. Rural college districts are not often capable of cross bonds as a result of voters are typically extra fiscally conservative, retired or low-income. Bonds that do cross don’t increase a lot cash as a result of property values are decrease total.
“It’s not like we have the money sitting there in another pot,” Valenzuela stated. “When we talk about making cuts … there’s nowhere to cut.”
In Alpine County, the place 96% of the land is owned by the state and federal authorities and there’s just one,100 residents, Safe Rural Colleges gives about 20% of the street restore price range and a good portion of the college funding.
“The longer you let the roads go, the worse they get,” stated Nichole Williamson, county administrative officer. “Our roads already aren’t in the best condition. We always worry about losing Secure Rural Schools, but still, I was surprised it didn’t pass.”
The final Safe Rural Colleges funds to counties will likely be in April.
This text was initially printed on CalMatters and was republished below the Artistic Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.
