Morongo Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Patricio Vargas was the guest on last Friday’s Up-Close Show with Gary Daigneault, where he discussed economic challenges facing many students, what MUSD does to help, and challenges that the MUSD faces moving forward.
Despite its popularity and high volume of year-long tourism, many forget or fail to realize many Morongo Basin residents struggle in poverty, which can equal greater challenges for our children who attend MUSD schools. Superintendent Dr. Patricio Vargas reminded Up-Close listeners of this overlooked fact, assuring students are provided at least one free meal a day to ease this burden. However, since these free meals are utilized from COVID funding, Vargas foresees expiration after another year.
Vargas said, “When COVID happened, the state decided to allow every student to get a free meal, regardless of your socioeconomic level. I don’t know if it’s going to last another year or for how long, but for now, every kid still gets a free meal in school.”
When Daigneault asked Vargas if this funding was going to go away, Vargas said, “Our budget, at the state level, is not looking as rosy now. It seems we’re foreseeing a slow-down or a cliff I hope we can avoid… It’s not as bad as 2008, but it seems we’re foreseeing some cloudy times in the future.”
