And as if to put a fine point on the reality of budget cuts, a slate of proposed school closures stands to impact low-income families more than others.
"The state of schools and the state’s future for young people came up frequently during the Monday gubernatorial forum hosted by the Alaska Chamber of Commerce." This should have said the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, not the Alaska CoC.
Low income households are likely to suffer from school closures, but writing about closures without mentioning the reality of declining in enrollments is not likely to lead to better policy. Anchorage enrollment is down by 10 percent over the past five years. Enrollment is is virtually certain to decline further in the years ahead. Alaskans (and Americans generally) have been having fewer children. That means fewer kids needing schooling. With 5,000 fewer students, it's had to fault Anchorage school officials for examining closures.
The problems created by declining enrollment are even more difficult to handle in the smaller districts. My analysis for the Juneau school district has been showing even greater declines.
"The state of schools and the state’s future for young people came up frequently during the Monday gubernatorial forum hosted by the Alaska Chamber of Commerce." This should have said the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, not the Alaska CoC.
Good report otherwise.
Low income households are likely to suffer from school closures, but writing about closures without mentioning the reality of declining in enrollments is not likely to lead to better policy. Anchorage enrollment is down by 10 percent over the past five years. Enrollment is is virtually certain to decline further in the years ahead. Alaskans (and Americans generally) have been having fewer children. That means fewer kids needing schooling. With 5,000 fewer students, it's had to fault Anchorage school officials for examining closures.
The problems created by declining enrollment are even more difficult to handle in the smaller districts. My analysis for the Juneau school district has been showing even greater declines.
Gregg Erickson
ERICKSON & ASSOCIATES
Economic Consultants