The agricultural economy in rural California generates around $50 billion annually in GDP — which happens to be roughly on par with the economic output of Hollywood films. California is not just for making movies. It’s not just a destination for tourism and recreation. It’s where over a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts are grown.

This economic feat arises from surprisingly few. Rural California is home to just 6 percent of the state’s population and 3 percent of the state’s K-12 students — roughly half a million children — and each of them matters.

Many rural students have limited access to internet services — that’s why a school district in Tulare County installed WiFi towers to enable students to bring the internet home after school.

Over 60 percent of students in some rural communities suffer chronic absenteeism, compared to 11 percent statewide.

And college readiness, as measured by A-G completion, is lower in rural places than in suburban and urban places. In the communities situated between Stanford University and San Francisco, for example, A-G completion rates are over 60 percent overall, though that number is alarmingly lower for many underserved groups. Meanwhile, the A-G completion rate in some rural communities is in the single digits.

California’s rural students cannot be overlooked. The unique needs of rural students need to be included in equity conversations, focusing on the particular challenges faced by rural schools. To address these needs, CCBE has included a new track at its annual conference in September: Equity and Opportunity in Rural California.

County board members know this is more of a universal topic than many people think. While many counties are predominantly or entirely rural, including Alpine, Mariposa, Sierra, Trinity, Plumas, Calaveras, Modoc, Siskiyou, Amador, Lassen, and Mono — some of the most urbanized counties in California also include rural communities. According to the University of California, one-fifth of the rural population in California lives in counties that are less than 50 percent rural overall — counties such as Tehama, Colusa, Tuolumne, Mendocino, Lake, Glenn, Nevada, Inyo, El Dorado, Madera, Del Norte, Shasta, Humboldt and Yuba. And almost one third of the state’s rural population lives in counties that are 90 percent urban.

CCBE is especially well positioned to focus on all things rural due to its governance structure. Each of the 58 counties has one vote at CCBE, giving equal voice to the 45 rural or partially rural counties outside of the Bay Area, Sacramento and Southern California. Meanwhile, across all places — urban, suburban and rural — CCBE sustains its voice for the constituency of children that all counties serve: court and community students, special education students and foster youth.

We know that the inclusion of rural students in our equity conversations does not mean trying to equate the experience of one group or another. Race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status — these are all different things, with their own unique dynamics.

Notably, however, these things have in common one thing: persistently they intertwine with place. Where one grows up has a lot to do with the opportunities made available. This need not be the case. Equity should be approached with a broadly inclusive mindset: each student, no matter their zip code, deserves the same full bounty of access and opportunity in California.

County board members are more than ready to lead this conversation.