By Dayna Straehley

Schools in San Bernardino County have made gains in academic performance, raising college-going rates, lowering dropout rates and improved safety.

But state funding jeopardizes continued progress in all those areas, county Superintendent of Schools Gary S. Thomas said Wednesday.

"All the good work we've done so far is at risk," he said.

"Education - Envision the Future" was the title of his annual state of education address delivered Wednesday afternoon at the California Theatre in San Bernardino. He also went over his remarks Wednesday morning at the county office.

"We have a lot of good things to share," Thomas said. Countywide, 22 more schools passed the state goal of 800 on the Academic Performance Index, which ranges from 200 to 1,000, for a total of 129, he said. Nine reached 900 or better. Five schools' indexes grew by 63 to 72 points.

But eight of the schools that reached the state's goal of 800 were also placed in Program Improvement sanctions under No Child Left Behind because not all of their minority groups met federal goals for test scores.

"This dichotomy sends a mixed message," Thomas said.

He said he hopes that differing state and federal goals will be fixed in the reauthorization of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which dates back to the 1960s and was christened No Child Left Behind by the Bush Administration.

The county's high school dropout rate fell from 26.3 percent in 2006-07 to 22.5 percent in 2007-08 and 21.6 percent in 2008-09 while the state rate climbed from 18.9 percent in 2007-08 to 21.5 percent in 2008-09.

"We recognize certainly we have a long way to go, but we're pleased with the progress we've made," Thomas said. "We're moving in the right direction."

Regional Occupational Programs show students the relevance of what they're learning as well as promoting more rigorous study and building relationships with business mentors, Thomas said.

Continuing the progress on all those fronts depends on maintaining state funding, he said.

Gov. Jerry Brown proposed "flat funding" for schools or decreases of only about $20 per student, if the legislature places tax extensions on the ballot and voters approve. If the tax extensions aren't approve, school funding would likely fall another $350 per student or more, Thomas said.

He said eight of San Bernardino County's 33 school districts, and 174 statewide, are on the brink of financial disaster. California has one of the shortest school years of any developed country and some of the most crowded classrooms.