Belgrade, Montana — US school enrollment is the highest ever and is not expected to slow. As we discuss more and more about families moving away from big cities to more affordable communities, we are aware of the impact this has on school districts that have grown much faster than expected.
Belgrade, Montana is a good example of a community affected by the current population boom. They have a brand new school that is almost a year old and has already reached capacity. In the immediate vicinity, new construction is being built that will bring at least 7,000 new families. This should be an exciting time as Story Creek Elementary embarks on its second year.
“The school is new. We’re part of it from a building over 100 years ago. We helped to be part of the design team, shared a learning space, and other unique things not found in other elementary schools. I have some stuff, “Lori said. Principal Degenhart.
Degenhart can’t help but worry when he glances at new construction in the future.
“I mean, I love coming here and seeing smiles, but it can’t be helped. I feel like I was hit on my chest bone to see what would happen if everyone appeared in August.” Said.
Over the last decade, enrollment in US schools has increased by 14%, and by 2100, US schools are projected to need to find room for 94 million students. It will almost double the number of school-aged children our country currently has.
“I think 25 or 30 new students were enrolled last year, and at that rate I feel like we’re completely out of space,” says Degenhart. “They don’t know their calculations, but they predict that there will be 40 more students this year. I think there will be more. When I see these little kids running around the neighborhood, enter.”
Story Creek Elementary already has a taste of how it feels to have more students than space. Kindergarten teacher Jennifer Andres explained that she had to hire a sixth kindergarten teacher last year to start a whole new class in the middle of the school year.
“I started the year with 18 kids in the classroom and it was great. It worked. By November I was already 22 students and at that point we were in kindergarten It was all five sections, “Andres said. .. “If you start moving away from one-on-one support, the ability to provide the differentiated teaching that students need, you will compromise on what your students are learning.”
Marion County, Florida, Amarillo, Texas, and Clarksville, Tennessee are just a few of the areas facing similar struggles. The increase in registration is just one of the implications of moving more and more families to these smaller communities.
“My biggest horror right now is the affordability of the valley. It’s not affordable, teachers can’t find affordable homes, and certain areas don’t already have enough staff.” Said Degenhart.
In Montana, the certification standard for kindergarten classes is 20 students.
“We were beyond certification. We were running out of space,” Andres said.
Without teachers, and without the ability to buy new land for the school, the solution is almost impossible.
“We are priced when we try to buy land. Our biggest hurdle is to get the land in a place where families can easily commute to school,” said Degenhart. I am.
Everyone knows that it will take time for things to pass, decisions to be made, and schools to be built. But, as Degenhart points out, time is not on their side.
“I thought it would probably take a little longer before we needed to build a fourth primary school, but now is the time,” said Degenhart.
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