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On the Blog
The New Reality Roundup | Week 198
It’s week 198 of our new reality and we are thinking about the huge challenge on the horizon of rightsizing school districts in the face of declining enrollment while growing opportunities for all kids.
“Fresh from the academic struggles that followed the pandemic, and with federal relief funds soon to run out,” many of the nation’s largest school districts “now confront a massive enrollment crisis,” Linda Jacobson reports in The 74.
When a school loses more than 20% of its students, it becomes much harder to run sustainably. Since the 2019-20 school year, that has happened to 25% of Philadelphia schools, 24% of Albuquerque schools, 21% of Los Angeles schools, 21% of Seattle schools and 19% of New York City schools. “Many districts with declining enrollment have been able to delay closures by relying on federal relief funds to offset the loss in state funding,” writes Jacobson. But later this year those federal funds will come to an end.
We know how damaging downsizing can be for children but the longer school districts wait, the worse off kids will be. It is crucial that districts move quickly so that the money that does remain isn’t used to prop up half-filled buildings instead of providing all children with the robust education they deserve.
Last time in The New Reality Roundup, we reflected on the ways our education system improved in 2023. This week, we are proud to launch our 2024 advocacy campaigns with 50 goals across 10 states. And stay tuned for further exciting announcements coming from 50CAN this month!
Blog →Stronger together
The 50CAN network grows every year to include more CANs, affiliates, fellowship communities, neighborhood initiatives and more. Here’s a peek at where we work.
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