A new feature-length documentary premiered Oct. 6 in Sacramento that takes viewers inside rural schools, sharing the stories of students, educators and families, and shining a spotlight on the challenges rural schools face and the resilience of their communities.
“Forgotten Schools: America’s Quiet Crisis” features interviews with Calaveras County Office of Education Superintendent Jared Hungerford, Interim Calaveras Unified School District Superintendent Ron Estes, Bret Harte Union High School District Superintendent Scott Nanik and Mark Twain Union Elementary School District Superintendent Louise Simson.
“The main message is that rural schools matter, and our students deserve the exact same great opportunities as students in large city districts,” Nanik said. “This film shines a needed light on rural education. It shows the incredible dedication of our teachers, staff, and families who work together every day to help young people thrive.”
Rural schools deal with a host of different challenges than urban and suburban schools, and what leaders need most is flexibility.
“I think the frustration of many of our small school districts is that we have to do so much with so little, especially our [Local Control Funding Formula]-funded districts,” Simson said. “The state funds one-size-fits-all programs that hold the same requirements for Los Angeles as it does for Angels Camp, which is infuriating. The Extended Learning Opportunity Program is a classic example: I am supposed to offer a nine-hour day, but my kids are already on the bus an hour each way. I need that money to deliver intervention during the day because I have 32-36 kids in a class due to cuts from declining enrollment.
“The biggest challenge is maintaining a quality program with less and less money,” Simson continued. “If a district has 20 schools in a system, they can close one and stop the funding bleed due to declining enrollment. I have two schools, 16 miles apart. Which community is going to lose their campus?” 
While the movie examines the severe challenges faced by rural schools, it also uplifts what is great about living and learning in a small community.
“The best thing in rural schools is kids are loved, valued, known, connected and worthy, and the staff community overcome the adversity and invests in them for a lifetime,” concluded Simson.
Watch the trailer here.
