Sacramento – Today the Governor signed the “Rural After-School Program Funding” bill, authored by Assemblymember Jim Wood. AB 2615 will ensure rural school districts get their fair share of federal after-school program funding.
Assemblymember Wood said, “This bill evens the playing field for rural school districts by allowing them to compete for financial aid with other rural school districts. Before this, rural districts had to compete for federal resources with large urban districts and that was just unfair.”
The current distribution of funds unjustly favors areas with higher population densities and places rural schools at a significant disadvantage. This legislation will provide a more equitable distribution of after-school program funding in each geographic region ensuring rural schools can access their fair share of funding.
“After-school programs provide so many students with important academic and social support and AB 2615 will truly benefit those children in rural areas throughout California, especially in our district” said Wood.
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Elected in 2014, Assemblymember Jim Wood (D- Healdsburg) represents the 2nd Assembly District, which includes all of Del Norte, Trinity, Humboldt and Mendocino counties, plus northern and coastal Sonoma County, including the northern half of Santa Rosa.