The future of Rico’s tiny, seven-student school is likely limited. That’s according to Bruce Hankins, Dolores County RE-2J school district superintendent, who spoke to KSJD after the school board met this week to discuss the future of the town’s school-- which serves mainly preschoolers. Hankins said it is becoming more and more difficult for the district to make ends meet.
“We need to provide services for kids up there,” he said, “but I don’t know if we can afford to keep that school open."
Hankins says the school’s low enrollment makes it receive very little per-pupil funding from the state, so it operates with a $65,000- $70,000 deficit. Because fewer students and their families are moving to Dolores County, he explained, there will likely not be an increase in enrollment in the near future. The school will probably not close before the end of this school year, but the board will meet again in the early spring to decide whether it can stay open longer.