Los Banos Rotary Club History
George Clark Talks On County Schools

George Clark, Merced county superintendent of schools was guest speaker at the Rotary Club luncheon in Los Banos Tuesday, reviewing the activities and responsibilities of his office and briefly reviewing the growth and expansion of the county's public school system.

Pointing out that California schools face an exceptional problem because of the rapid increase in population, Clark said that every school plant in the county has been faced with huge building and expansion programs, mostly accomplished by bonded indebtedness and special taxes. By the end of the year, Clark said, Merced county will have a total of 160 classroom units, which should be at least care for present needs. Average building cost, today he said, is about $14 per square foot.

School attendance is increasing some 600 to 800 every year and today more than 17,000 students are enrolled in public schools in this county.
Clark said that as the state has assumed more and more of the cost of education in recent years, the office of county schools superintendent has become more and more tied in to the state school.

January 23, 1953

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