Melinda Bugg quit school in eighth grade.

The Shamokin resident says she dropped out because of family issues, that she was needed at home to take care of her younger brothers and sisters. A few years later, she had a son, Landon.

Landon was Bugg’s inspiration to resume her education four months ago.

“I don’t want him to have to need anything,” Bugg, 20, said. “I want him to not have to ask people for help.”

Of the 244 Valley high school dropouts in the 2006-2007 academic year, Shamokin and Shikellamy led with 46 each. That represents 5.2 percent of enrolled high school students at Shamokin, and 4.3 percent at Shikellamy.

The average high school dropout rate in the Valley’s other 10 districts — Danville, Lewisburg, Line Mountain, Midd-West, Mifflinburg, Milton, Mount Carmel, Selinsgrove, Southern Columbia and Warrior Run — is 1.52 percent.

The state average is 1.6 percent.

Superintendents James Zack, of Shamokin, and Al Lonoconus, of Shikellamy, cite socioeconomic factors as a problem with student retention.

“Poverty is always an issue,” Zack said. “It’s a life-threatening situation. We need to address it not as a school, but as a society.”

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 22,000 — or 17 percent of Valley residents over age 25 — do not have a high school diploma. About 3,000 — or 16 percent of those ages 18 to 24— have not graduated.

In an August report, Lonoconus said violence, poverty and parenting issues were obstacles to the student population. In a previous interview, he said there has been a struggle to make some district parents realize the importance of education.

Because 20 percent of the district’s residents do not have a diploma, Lonoconus said, they may not see the value of education.

Lonoconus was not available for comment last week.

Why drop out?

A 22-year-old Lewisburg resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said he quit as a sophomore because he disliked school — the top reason students give for dropping out, according to the state Department of Education.