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C ALI FORN IA’S OLDE ST NE W SPAPER
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VOLUME 173 • ISSUE 25 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2024
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Student test scores not back to pre-COVID levels Odin Rasco Staff writer
Statewide test scores have dropped since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and have yet to recover, according to experts, and recent data from the California Department of Education indicates El Dorado County is no exception. Results from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress for the 2022-23 school year were recently released by the state Department of Education, and passing scores continue to lag behind pre-pandemic numbers by a significant margin. The CAASPP, established
in 2014, replaced the state’s previous assessment, known as the STAR test, which ran from 1999-2013. The CAASPP tests California students in third through eighth grade and 11th grade on math and English skills; fifth through eighth grade students are also tested on science skills and once in high school prior to graduation. County students performed well in the yearly assessments, with local students achieving passing marks around 10% more often than the state average every year since the CAASPP began being administered. In the 201819 school year county CAASPP scores ■ See TEST SCORES, page A6
Graphic by Odin Rasco
El Dorado County students still outperform the state average in end-of-year math assessments but passing scores have dropped. In 2019 more than 50% of county students met or exceeded math standards; last year 44% did.
County facing budget ‘challenges’ Eric Jaramishian Staff writer
DWR photo by Fred Greaves
California Department of Water Resources staff Angelique Fabbiani-Leon, left, a hydrometeorologist, and Andy Reising, an engineer, head out onto the snow survey course at Phillips Station near Sierra-at-Tahoe Feb. 29.
Snowpack 77% of average Mountain Democrat staff
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A team from the Department of Water Resources surveyed the Sierra Nevada snowpack on Thursday, finding conditions to be about 77% of average at Phillips Station for late February/ early March. Manually measuring the snow using a hollow aluminum survey pole, DWR staff recorded 47.5
inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 18 inches. The snow water equivalent measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR’s water supply forecast for the state. One month ago on Jan. 30, at the same site, the snowpack was 58% of average. In a year that saw record-breaking precipitation, the March 2023 snow survey found the snowpack 177% of average and 116.5 inches deep. DWR officials say the most recent survey reflects continued improvement in the snowpack since a slow and dry start to the water year. DWR’s electronic readings from 130 stations placed throughout the state indicate that the statewide snowpack’s snow water equivalent is 18.7 inches, or 80% of average. The statewide snowpack is currently
70% of the April 1
forecasting several feet of
El Dorado County’s 2023-24 mid-year budget report projects the net General Fund balance on June 30 will be just under $17 million. That figure is down from last year’s $25.9 million. Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Sue Hennike alluded to the Board of Supervisors during its Feb. 27 meeting that it would be a “challenging” budgeting year. “I think the takeaway from this is what I have been telling you since this time last year; we are seeing things slow down,” Hennike told the board. “On top of that, we’ve seen some cost increases that were out of our control that we are going to try to work into this next year’s budget and, as you can see, we are not expecting to have as much from our current year to work with.” Every year the Chief Administrative Office provides an update to the board on county departments’ fiscal performance and the county’s financial position in preparation for the next year’s budget. “Due to the county’s conservative approach to budgeting, there are usually unspent funds at the end of the year, which can be used to fund the ■ See BUDGET, page A3
Somerset residents ask for cannabis farm permit appeal Eric Jaramishian Staff writer
DWR photo by Sara Nevis
Snow melts into the South Fork of the American River Feb. 29. average, when the snowpack is typically at its peak. Thursday’s snow survey came just hours before a winter storm rolled into the Sierra, with meteorologists
snow for the high country over the weekend. “We are now in the last month of the traditional snow season and while conditions ■ See SNOWPACK, page A3
A group of Somerset area residents are hoping to appeal a commercial cannabis use permit submitted by Somerset farmer David Harde following the El Dorado County Planning Commission’s approval. A hearing regarding the appeal is scheduled for 11 a.m. during the Tuesday, March 5, Board of Supervisors meeting, where both sides will present arguments. The board will decide to approve or deny the appeal at that time. More than 15 people, most living in the south county area, have signed the appeal. The Planning Commission approved the use permit for Harde, who owns about 54 acres in Somerset, having found all conditions of his proposed cultivation site acceptable and in line with the county’s commercial cannabis ordinance. Harde said he would start off growing on approximately 43,000 square feet of his land. However, area residents, including some of ■ See CANNABIS, page A3
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