Night classes eliminated

The Riverside Adult School has ended all of its night classes.

Those classes, which were primarily for working students, along with most morning classes, have been dropped by the Riverside Unified School District, according to a published report.

Without dropping those classes, the district would not have the resources to fulfill its primary obligation of educating kindergarten through 12th grade students, according to the report.

During the 2012-’13 academic year, an estimated 1,200 students, some from as far away as the High Desert, attended the night classes provided by Riverside Unified. This year that number is down to 185, and the number of courses offered has been cut from 47 to six, according to the report.

Among the classes eliminated were certification classes for nursing and medical assistants. Classes for English as a second language and adult training classes for GED testing are still being offered.

The school’s budget has been cut from $3.6 million to $1.8 million, and its staff of 52 full and part-time employees has been cut to 19, according to the report.