SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION and 21 charter schools that serve 75,000 students from pre-kindergarten through high school .
The daughter of a former Roseville mayor whose family has lived in the county since 1906 , Garbolino-Mojica contends that producing test scores that are typically among the top three in the state is critical to sustaining a community where new generations of students can get a job , buy a home and raise a family . “ When I meet new business owners or people who have just moved here , many of them say they came because of the schools ,” Garbolino-Mojica says . “ Businesses want to locate where they can offer their employees a high quality of life and that draws families who support the schools .”
Besides academic programs to achieve those high test scores , some Placer County schools offer vocational education , like a summer internship with the homebuilder Lennar in the Rocklin School District . After two summers and graduation , “ they are full apprentices and ready to work ,” Garbolino-Mojica says .
“ When I meet new business owners or people who have just moved here , many of them say they came because of the schools .”
Placer County schools are also state leaders in administering an innovative program that provides a network of licensed counselors and social service agencies to help students distracted by trauma ( such as family illness , divorce or food insecurity ) that interferes with their learning . “ Over the last five or six years , we have really tried to scale up mental health service to students ,” says Garbolino-Mojica . This mission of educating and caring for the whole person means that students in Placer County — from
Gayle Garbolino-Mojica Placer County Superintendent of Schools
elementary school through college — have the best chance at a fulfilling life and career .
Bill Sessa has been a freelance writer for Comstocks since 2013 . He has received many awards for his writing about the automotive industry and motorsports for national publications including Speed Sport , Autoweek and Performance Racing Industry magazines and for the Napa Valley Register .
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