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Over the years, I have shared demographic trend data collected from public and private sources. Included in the numbers are trouble spots that leaders in business and government will need to address, and opportunities for change.
For example, with declining birthrates over the last twenty years, the number of children in our elementary schools has decreased in many locations. In some cases, schools were built to accommodate 30, 40, or even 50 percent more students than are currently enrolled today. The experience, however, is uneven, as some areas of the state have grown substantially over the last twenty years (Middletown, areas of Sussex County, etc.), necessitating the construction of new or expanded facilities. However, keep in mind that the overall number of students has continued to drop over the last two decades, while the distribution of growth has always been dynamic.
In business, when one location is running at only 50 or 60 percent capacity, reallocation of resources becomes a discussion point. This is different because we’re talking about children's learning and their well-being. However, this does present an opportunity to relocate some students to new locations from buildings that are half empty. In turn, this could free up resources to make improvements at schools with higher utilization rates. It’s something to think about.
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