Read the latest news about the struggle to preserve parental rights at all levels of government. Learn what the Santa Clara Moms for Liberty group has been up to, what upcoming events and functions we're having, and how you can help.
The warning stems from an analysis of national enrollment data by the Brookings Institution and some reporting from The 74.
Their analysis came after Brookings researchers found a decline in elementary and middle school enrollment, a one-fifth loss of their enrollment.
"Enrollment declines are everywhere," Brookings Institution fellow Sofoklis Goulas said. The report also noted Jackson Public Schools voted to close 11 schools and merge two of them. Some of these schools saw a loss of 30% or more of their students since 2018.
Plenty of school districts saw decreases similar to that of Jackson Public Schools, the report states, and that number more than doubled between 2019 and 2021.
Editor's note: Lest public schools forget, parents are consumers. As such, they will always seek the best education options for their children. If what the government provides is not seen as a good option, parents will go elsewhere...
The report explained further that the decline is projected to continue throughout the decade and that Oregon, New Mexico and West Virginia are among the states expected to see an enrollment decline "at least another 10%."
The districts residing in states’ large metropolitan cities like Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Albuquerque saw a decline of 20%. Enrollment declines also occurred in the south, such as Memphis-Shelby County Schools in Tennessee, the DeKalb County School District near Atlanta, and "several in Texas."
The decline forces administrators to make budget cuts to extracurricular activities, cut labor, or merge classrooms.
Over 1,400 schools in California saw a drop in enrollment of at least 20% during the pandemic. A phenomenon that was driven by several factors, including record-low birth rates and high costs of living, especially in Silicon Valley.
Enrollment at the San Francisco Unified School District dropped from 53,000 students in 2012 to 49,000 students now, according to ABC 7 News.
On top of enrollment, the school district has reportedly faced numerous challenges ranging from a severe financial crisis and a staff shortage.
"Other families left districts during school closures for private schools and charters. All of these factors add up to fewer school-age children attending traditional public schools," the Brookings report stated.
The Brookings Institution report came after a new report showed that charter schools have made significant gains over the past four years.
The report showed an uptick in charter school enrollment from 2019 to 2023. More recently, charter school enrollment grew 2% while district enrollment plateaued.
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools reported that charter schools gained more than 300,000 new students, an increase of 9% over the last four years, while district-run public schools lost 1.5 million students at the beginning of the pandemic. Enrollment for public schools has not rebounded over the past three years, researchers at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools reported.
If you share our concern over what has been taking place in our classrooms, please consider joining with us as we fight for families, for children, for education, for truth, and for common sense.
We continue to ask people whether they understand what is now taking place within our school systems. We continue to provide information and resources to help people, especially parents, gain some idea of what's being taught to kids (and why). And yes, we continue to ask people to get involved and help with the lifting.
We fight against children being taught to hate their country, to judge people based on the color of their skin, and to ignore the basic truths of biology. We fight against the sexualization in school of little ones and the destruction of the innocence of youth. Perhaps most importantly, we fight to ensure that the proper teaching of math, reading and writing remain at the forefront of a child's education.
The idea that it is parents who are responsible for raising, educating, and seeing to the well being of their kids, that is sacrosanct.
Join with us in preserving the attributes and ideals of this great nation.
Feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and family. Actually anyone who acknowledges the fundamental right of parents to raise, educate, and protect their children are invited to join with us. We are gathering a group of joyful warriors, folks who understands why (and for whom) we fight.
Think on this...
LEARNING IS NOT ATTAINED BY CHANCE, IT MUST BE SOUGHT FOR WITH ARDOR AND ATTENDED TO WITH DILIGENCE.
- Abigail Adams
AN INVESTMENT IN KNOWLEDGE PAYS THE BEST INTEREST.
- Benjamin Franklin
THE FUNCTION OF EDUCATION IS TO TEACH ONE
TO THINK INTENSIVELY AND TO THINK CRITICALLY.
INTELLIGENCE PLUS CHARACTER -- THAT IS THE GOAL OF TRUE EDUCATION.
- Martin Luther King Jr.
TELL ME AND I FORGET. TEACH ME AND I REMEMBER. INVOLVE ME AND I LEARN.
- Benjamin Franklin
Moms for Liberty Santa Clara County operates as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization.
The organization's primary mission is to organize, educate and empower parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.
