Between 1970 and 2007, it's estimated that the student population dropped by 30%. With the number of students shrinking, the schools face problems with budget cuts and some districts have even been forced to combine. As you can imagine, it isn't always easy to bus kids from one district to the next in the Adirondacks when there are snowy conditions or inefficient roads. Budget cuts lead to the termination of jobs, school programs, elective classes; all of which can have a negative affect on the students.
While the decreasing student population often negatively affects the schools and education of the students, this can in turn further decrease a district's population. When people look to move, the education system in the area is an important part of researching real estate. If a school doesn't have the funding to provide the best education for their students, even less people will move to the surrounding area. The affects on the economy and population enter a vicious cycle.
Some Adirondack schools are figuring out the answers though. In 2007, Newcomb Central School of Newcomb, NY began opening up their school to international students. Foreigners are willing to pay as much as $10,000 for a year of an American education. Not only does the school profit monetarily but this also markets the school as cultured and global, attracting Americans looking at schools in the Adirondacks. While the issue of public schools in the Adirondacks seems stark at first, as always the Adirondacks seems to find its way.
The Town of Webb School
Image Source: WKTV.com
Image Source: WKTV.com
Sources:
http://www.adirondackexplorer.org/editorials/save-our-small-schools
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/23/public-schools-selling-seats/5553119/
http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/16722/20101124/a-village-school-in-the-adirondacks-goes-global-to-survive
http://www.adkmuseum.org/about_us/adirondack_journal/?id=262
This is definitely a big issue for Adirondack communities! Before I was born, my dad was offered a teaching position at the high school in Tupper Lake. Despite my parents' deep love for the Adirondacks, they chose to settle outside of the park for the sake of their children's education-- the instability of tiny school districts turns people away all the time.
ReplyDeleteI'm very interested in education and I found this extremely compelling. Do you think we would see an increase in the number of students at Adirondack elementary schools, as well as improved education if things continued going this way? I still feel like the climate-the snow, etc.- would cause issues with numbers at schools.
ReplyDelete