City to host biennial Education Forum Sept. 16

Creating a stronger future for education in San Marcos from kindergarten through college will be addressed on Wednesday, September 16 from 6 to 7:30 pm in a special forum that brings together the City's mayor and leaders of the San Marcos Unified School District, Palomar College and Cal State San Marcos.

“San Marcos is known as North County’s educational hub and this year, we are celebrating just how far San Marcos and academics have come in just ten years since the forum was established,” said Mayor Jim Desmond.

Held every two years, the forum offers a unique opportunity for the community to hear from leaders of its three key school systems --- K-12, community college and state university --- that together serve more than 50,000 students in the North County region.

“The forum gives policy makers at the City and at our major educational institutions a chance to come together to share ideas, plans and aspirations for the future of education in San Marcos," continued Desmond.

Key challenges include properly developing the area's educational strengths that have made San Marcos a hub for learning and training a workforce that will meet future economic needs.

Dr. Karen Haynes, president of California State University San Marcos; Adrian Gonzales, interim president of Palomar College, and Dr. Kevin Holt, superintendent of the San Marcos Unified School District, will each give presentations on accomplishments over the last ten years, and what's new on their campuses and with their curriculum followed by an opportunity for audience questions.

The free forum, "Making the Grade: In Just Ten Years," will be held at the University of St. Augustine in Building A. The university is located at 700 Windy Point Drive in San Marcos. Free parking will be provided for attendees just off Borden Road.

The forum will be live-streamed and then re-broadcast at a later date on San Marcos Community Television as well as on the City's Web site.

For more information, please contact Communications Officer Sarah Macdonald at (760) 744-1050, ext. 3174