Indio High School’s 50-year agriculture program set to close, but city council wants to intervene

Indio High School’s Career Technical Education (CTE) Agriculture Program will close at the end of the current school year, the school’s principal, Monica Rodriguez, announced in a letter to students, staff, families and community members this week.

Rodriguez described the decision as one made after “careful consideration and many thoughtful conversations over time,” noting it was “not a decision made quickly or lightly.”

The letter acknowledged the program’s long history at the school, saying generations of students had been shaped by their experiences in agriculture and that the school recognizes “the pride and legacy that comes with that.”

Declining student enrollment and interest were cited as the primary reasons for the closure, with the letter stating the program had reached a point where it was “no longer sustainable to support a full-time teaching position.”

The program’s agriculture teacher, Mamie Powell, will also be retiring at the end of the school year. Rodriguez said her work “helped shape the program into what it has been” and wished her well in retirement.

The closure drew a response from Indio City Council members at their Wednesday meeting, with several expressing a desire to intervene and reverse the decision.

Councilmember Glenn Miller raised the issue during the meeting, saying he had only recently learned of the planned closure and urging the council to act.

“I think with our years of being in the agricultural industry, a lot of our youth that are able to utilize that program, from raising animals to also the floral arrangements, I think it’s a great addition to our school and the city of Indio to keep that program going,” Miller said.

Councilmember Ben Guitron said he had already been in contact with Michael Duran, a member of the Desert Sands Unified School District Board of Directors representing Trustee Area 5.

“They’re not losing hope on it,” Guitron said. According to Guitron, Duran said low student enrollment is indeed a central factor, noting that only about 30 students have expressed interest in the program for the coming year.

“They like to see that number a little higher, because they have to justify the position,” he said.

Guitron also highlighted a benefit unique to Indio High students enrolled in the agriculture program — they are able to house, feed and care for their animals at the county fairgrounds at no cost in exchange for maintaining the grounds.

Mayor Elaine Holmes said she had received calls about the closure and that the financial reality of low enrollment was difficult to ignore — but so was the prospect of losing the program entirely.

“I just feel like that agricultural community needs to be strong. It is strong, and it needs to remain strong at that high school level. I can’t imagine not having an FFA program,” Holmes said.

Previous offerings featured classes on subjects including plant and animal physiology, agribusiness, and sustainable agriculture. Just last month, the school’s Future Farmer’s of America (FFA) voted on next year’s officers and earlier this year FFA students entered various agriculture categories at the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival, including junior livestock pig and sheep categories.

School officials said they plan to assess and revamp the school’s CTE offerings with the goal of expanding programs that reflect student interest and future career pathways. Though the formal agriculture program will end, no word on the status of the FFA club has been released.

The campus Environmental Club will continue to use the agriculture program’s space for composting and sustainability projects, maintaining what the principal described as “a connection to hands-on environmental learning and stewardship on our campus.”

The principal’s letter closed with a message to current agriculture students and families: “We are here to support students through this transition and ensure they have clear pathways moving forward.”

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