Our Picture of Health 1998:
Focusing on Community Health to the Year 2000CHAPTER 6: EDUCATION
19. Community Use of Schools
The County's schools are used extensively by the community, and the schools have been reaching out to the community through community service.
- School District #49 in De Beque reports that its schools are used by a wide variety of community members. Church groups use the schools, the town has dinners in schools, and they have even hosted weddings.
- School District #50 in Plateau Valley says that its schools are a central point for community interaction. There is hardly a weekend or evening when there's not some activity at the school.
- School District #51 has four pages detailing the use of its school buildings by the community. Schools are used for recreational activities, evening classes, after-school care and meetings.
"The most important motive for study at school, at the university, and in life is the pleasure of working and thereby obtaining results which will serve the community." — Albert Einstein
20. Dollars Per Pupil Revenues and Expenses
The School Finance Act of 1994 contains a formula that is used by the state to compute financial allocations to school districts, depending on population and other district characteristics.
Figure 6-2: Per Pupil Revenues, Fiscal Year 1995-1996
Source: Colorado Department of Education
Figure 6-3: Per Pupil Expenditures, Fiscal Year 1995-1996
Source: Colorado Department of Education
21. Volunteerism in the Schools
Volunteers provide a valuable service to the schools on several levels — from team boosters to classroom tutoring to accountability committees.
- District #49, De Beque, reports having a strong volunteer force at the elementary school level and by high school it is very weak. At the elementary school level there is 99% participation in parent teacher association meetings. By high school, participation dwindles to 30%.
- Plateau Valley, District #50, has more than 100 active volunteers.
- Mesa Valley District #51 has about 300 volunteers working at least three hours per month. Senior citizens gave 8,000 volunteer hours to the senior scholar program during the 1996-97 school year.
Every parent, neighbor, pastor, and friend is a teacher. Our actions, words and attitudes teach each child with whom our paths cross. Let us teach our children the joy of hope, the way of love and the satisfaction of hard work.
22. Participants in Adult Educational Experiences
Half of the adults surveyed in the 1997 Risk Behavior Survey reported having participated in some form of an educational experience in the last year.
Mesa County is fortunate to have Mesa State College and other advanced degree programs.
There are varied job-related training opportunities through schools, private firms and professional organizations.
The Tilman M. Bishop Unified Technical Training Center is a joint service of Mesa State College and School District #51 offering technological training in health care, media and graphic design, machining and other trades.
May link to . . .
- Literacy
- Skilled Work Force
- Economy
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