US enrollment decline pressures school districts

Declining public school enrollment is putting pressure on districts’ budgets and prompting officials nationwide to consider school closures, staffing cuts, program changes and district consolidation. In Fresno, enrollment challenges have expanded from one or two schools to 10, leading the district to review attendance boundaries and program consolidation, though no closures have been decided. Alabama’s preliminary count shows about 12,000 fewer students this school year than last, a drop state officials say could put roughly 750 to 800 education jobs at risk, with the steepest losses in rural areas and some large counties. The broader decline is linked in part to fewer children being born, while school funding systems that depend on enrollment magnify its financial effects.