After Enrollment Declines, Schools Need Kids Back to Avoid Budget Cuts | WSJ

After public school enrollment declined across the country last year, school districts like the one in Lansing, Michigan, are under pressure to get students enrolled and keep them engaged as budget questions loom. Photo: Bart Thomas
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#WSJ #BackToSchool #Economy

[@utahnate]

Public education is broken

[@jjc6530]

I agree. In general there’s no trust between teachers and parents. Parents thinks teachers are the bad people. Not sure why, not all teachers are bad, very few are. In any organization there are due to be bad ones. Teachers just following what their told to do. Teachers want to teach, but told what to teach by the govt.and overloaded with nonsense work and miscellaneous task and duties which do not contribute to student learning. and success.Attending workshops that are a waste of time, just so consultants can get paid big bucks.

[@xyz-pg3zd]

⁠@@jjc6530 meh. At this rate I’d love to have been able to learn by AI assessment. Find strengths and weaknesses and work on both sides. The future will be awesome.

[@rivesdoe6442]

All the teachers who said they feel unsafe to work all those kids a year ago, probably are feeling a little different with the situation now

[@MCD613]

This is great for education. Parents realized that they had options and now public schools are competing for enrollment.

[@xyz-pg3zd]

Agreed.

[@xyz-pg3zd]

The schools I went to always dictated what path and where I went to school. It was such BS as the high school I went to was so far away and the counselor who was near retirement, didn’t care to motivate at all. Sigh.

[@FinancialShinanigan]

Not surprising to see when schools compete for students, the better equip will survive.

[@watchdealer11]

We need school choice. This country is too divided and we simply will never agree on issues. Better to let people decide for themselves.

[@jjc6530]

That will create more problems. This is what freedom has done divided the country even further.

[@abhishekdev353]

@@jjc6530 Freedom divides people....wow. Maybe the divide is between those who want to take away freedom and those who want to preserve it.

[@gorrilaunit99]

If you love your children *You will Homeschool Them!*

[@K4R3N]

And how does a single working parent do this exactly??? THINK before you speak.

[@wedmunds]

If you want them to have 0 social skills, sure.

[@ronberube3081]

@@wedmunds That is a false and outdated statement. Plenty of ways to learn social skills without being in public schools.

[@josephlynch7655]

Every person I ever met who was homeschooled was a freak.

[@Phantom8589]

Facts

[@ya_hya]

im down for online school for life. if i can be alone. no disturbances

[@Meower20]

You realize this is terrible for people's mental health right

[@watchableraven3517]

I learn terribly with online work, speaking from experience aha. It's a lot easier for me to grasp concepts in-person and i feel like many people agree

[@Phantom8589]

@@Meower20 That's complete BS, the mental health argument has no facts to prove that at all. Homeschooling has proven that kids get a better education, and have better mental health, participation in sports are higher, and they pursue higher degrees in education, at a vastly higher rate than any public education. Public education has only resulted in a decline in education levels. 20 years ago education per student was not even 10% of what it is now students were getting an actual education. Now we pay a ton of money and kids are not not learning. Public education is a joke now.

[@scaboi]

@@Meower20 Public schools have cause poor mental health in kids.

[@xyz-pg3zd]

@@scaboi agreed. Especially things like no child left behind and teachers who don’t teach!!!!! Had one who made us read the newspaper the whole time😢

[@maxedoutsphinx2156]

That’s a very poor excuse!

[@pedecadonstudios714]

Why do people think this is a bad thing. Kids shouldn't spend all day being indoctrinated, they should be allowed to experience the world and actually gain something from the 18 years most of us wasted. This is good.

[@jjc6530]

How will the kids experience the world? By parents?, but parents have to go to work.Who will watch their kid?

[@mybestlifefortherestofmyli7137]

​@@jjc6530 so your saying school is a big baby sitting. Why the f. Would anyone want to put their child in school then for that reason. No one wants people teaching their kids besides education, but other things are being pushed on kids.

[@jjc6530]

@@mybestlifefortherestofmyli7137 many parents put their kids in school so they can go to work, and instead of hiring a babysitter to watch their kid from getting in trouble.. Is schools really teaching curriculum and upholding standards, perhaps not, kids can pass their classes with doing absolutely no work. Schools and principals just worry about graduation rates despite learning takes place or not., parents yells at and challenges teachers and school if kid doesn’t pass. So everyone passes no matter what they do or passes any test. So what are kids really doing at school, just really hanging out, and the teaching is just really monitoring them. Why care to do any work if their gonna pass for doing work or not.

[@stardustgirl1061]

Problems with public education where I live: 1. CRT being rolled out. 2. Curriculum being dumbed down for equity. No math and writing placement, no AP. 3. Schools would not open last year 4. School board that allowed all this to happen

[@waverly2468]

If Burger King loses customers, they cut employee hours and close stores. It shouldn't be that hard for schools to make adjustments.

[@garyschultz7768]

ha ha ha.....😂

[@buckfan125]

Go woke, get broke

[@phoenixrising4995]

No Math, No Money. Is my motto

[@dazzlings]

Good schools get good enrollment. Bad schools get bad enrollment - if people have a choice.

[@jjc6530]

What is considered bad or good? All schools are bad if ran by the public school system. There’s few bad one, but generally It’s not the teachers, teachers just follow as told by the principal, the system is the problem.

[@dazzlings]

@@jjc6530 Not all bad or all good. Generally they are.

[@MarketingVideography]

Homeschool!!!!!!!! Let them teach CRT to their own kids.

[@alexandriamares1402]

Why should a parent send their child to school when they dont agree with the curriculum ?? Parents are also saving tons of money and have reduced stress levels. It's a win/win.

[@morgan1800]

Maybe so their children get a better education....

[@moribundmurdoch]

Free To Choose. I'm not a big fan of public schools. Schools must not practice ideological indoctrination. They should promote creative thinking, innovation and problem solving. The students should be made to think, doubt and question what they learn, and not memorize things under academic pressure.

[@BrianDriesenga]

It is all about the money.

[@randomxxjojo]

Why cut the budget? Now more money can be spent on supplies instead of teachers paying out of pocket. Also, more money can be spent per student in terms of up to date text books, learning mediums and technology. Don't cut the budget now that there's an appropriate amount of students for the budget that was provided. How about increase the teacher's wages.

[@K4R3N]

Principal Murphy fighting for her own existence. She doesn't want to be an Amazon warehouse worker.

[@donaldlewis567]

Why is the principal on the phone talking with a mask on?

[@elizabethdarcy6465]

Maybe because the cameraman is in the room with her

[@donaldlewis567]

@@elizabethdarcy6465 Or more likely for pandering for the camera.

[@rajithafernando6091]

Ya maybe teachers openly pushing their views on children might have something to do with it.

[@jjc6530]

Not all teachers are like that. I think these are mostly teachers that teach subjective classes. It’s hard for math teachers to teach politics. Math is very heavy on content. No time to focus on anything else.

[@bvkronenberg6786]

CHOICE. My mind, my choice. Let the kids be free.

[@phoenixrising4995]

Or at least do online learning right. I think gamify learning more like brillant or skillshare is the way to go for K-12.

[@apocalypsepow]

There has to be standards tho

[@helterskelter4every1]

I don’t have kids or anything, but my friends who do have them have been complaining that they have had issues with teachers dropping classes for various reasons. Schools seriously sound like one giant mess right now.

[@JK-gu3tl]

Nothing new, my h.s. dropped accounting and this was back around 2000.

[@helterskelter4every1]

@@JK-gu3tl I’m not talking because of budget cuts. That’s a whole different game entirely and has been going on for ages. I’m talking elementary school teachers not going back to schools or even jr and sr high teachers who teach the basics like, math, science, English teachers- all quitting or simply not returning this year for whatever reason. I’m not talking about extra circulars. People I know quit for varying reasons, everything from moving to finding new interests during COVID. Schools just seem so “different” these days. Has it been like that for you parents? I get what you’re trying to say though, and you’re right, schools have been a general mess for far too long now. That’s so sad too.

[@janineanderson1]

Here is a little secret: The public school system needs your kid more than you need the public education system. In addition to private, charter, and pods, homeschooling has never been easier. Depending on where you live, there is likely a world of co-ops and social networks that provide many social opportunities for your kids to partake in.

[@JeremyMPearce]

The State and Teachers Union’s mandates and regulations seem to be largely to blame for much of this decline. Parents want their kids to learn and preferably in person. Charter schools have more flexibility because they keep the unions and state at bay while providing a cheaper and much more effective education. Competition is good, losing teachers or schools is rough. That said, those good teachers at public schools are more than welcome to join the charter schools that caused their previous school to close. We love good teachers, and we will always stand for them to be the ones teaching our kids.

[@quochungtran8127]

Parents should consider charter school or homeschooling. Public school system is a disaster. They are more indoctrination than education

[@jjc6530]

Blame the American parents and American culture. Education is not taken seriously. Parents don’t hold their kids accountable for their academics or any responsibility of anything. When kid fails for not doing their part, parents complain to principal. Kid magically passes. How is that helping the kid to learn or to teach them about being responsible? The American culture don’t see education as a priority, the public school system is a disastrous mess. Govt over tasking the schools to the point of crippling the system, without realizing what the schools are capable of doing to meet the govts demands satisfactorily. That’s why the system is not functioning like it should. 3 weeks into the beginning of school year, class roster are still disorganized kids are still added in and taken out. Govt task teachers to a ridiculous point, teachers need to be at two locations, meeting and a workshop at the same time and day. This is why the school system don’t work, the govt is being unrealistic and overtasking. In a way, this may be good to help the govt to open it’s eyes to see how unrealistic they are. Kids not returning, cause teachers so overtasked, no time to help kids.

[@realitycheck9762]

Why would I send my kid to be indoctrinated? I know of plenty of parents who are homeschooling, it's a better education, much safer and no politics. Public schools are a joke and that's why we are 27th in education worldwide.

[@susiefisch]

Nice that you don’t need both parents working to support your family….which parent is responsible for teaching? Wife or husband?

[@watchdealer11]

Many want to defund the police unions because of issues with policing; yet few want to defund the teachers' unions even though same issues apply.

[@DarkLight-sz1vp]

💯

[@AWESOME20527]

Lol! What a disgrace! They are just saying that to promote CRT

[@99luftwaffles]

Maybe public schools should stop indoctrination and start educating...

[@DarkLight-sz1vp]

Music to my ears!

[@WorldNews-cataclysms]

Anyone who reads this comment: GOOD LUCK TO HIM AND ALL HIS LOVED ONES!

[@nicolejennings8389]

Who is he? I'm not a he.

[@Lennyst]

@@nicolejennings8389 Calm down he means everyone. It is just a mistake.

[@watchableraven3517]

Not a he, cool though

[@JK-gu3tl]

Online education with a Montessori style lab/library is the way to go. Virtual reality will be game changer. The current system is outdated.

[@jermainec2462]

Virtual learning we'll have these kids soft they already soft enough they need interaction with different kids to learn social skills throughout life... The system is outdated but this virtual learning I don't know

[@rathernot6587]

Virtual learning or "Online Education" is terrible. Kids need social interaction a thing they are already lacking due to the ways our schools are already designed. The current system sure is outdated and has problems but compared to virtual learning it is far superior.

[@SK-uu2fg]

You're joking, right? If anything, Virtual classes this year showed parents that they're a terrible subsitute for actual face-to-face instruction. Thats not just the US, it was global. The system is outdated, yes, but "virtual reality" is not the answer

[@JK-gu3tl]

@@jermainec2462 That's why kids should have friends outside of school. People don't play sports on the weekend? Also, the lab/library thing can be a meeting place for like minded individuals.

[@JK-gu3tl]

@@rathernot6587 Superior to Khan Academy? Ted Ed? Ron Paul School of Curriculum? I doubt it!

[@mariuszbudych9636]

Question to you, Americans. Please explain me how is it possible that in one of the most developed countries in the world SCHOOL of all things can have any possibility of defauliting? Like this is literally your future, how can you afford to not pay for it? How?

[@hatchetscoured]

Our government is corrupt and our politicians are controlled by millionaires and billionaires who don't care about these problems because they send their kids to private school, live in gated communities with private security and can pay for the best healthcare. The entire country is run like a business and a large body of voters (baby boomers) thinks this is acceptable. It's going to take an entire generation or two to change things and there will be a lot of damage will be done in the meantime.

[@mariuszbudych9636]

@@hatchetscoured that makes sense. However it's painfull to watch/hear about it even from central Europe perspective. Not to mention West or North of Europe. I mean, democracy I gues...

[@ryanh9388]

It is a bit more nuanced than BrentTX87 is presenting the issue but he does hit some key points. The issue is not and never is money. We spend the fourth highest amount per student in the world but most of that does not actually make it inside a classroom. Our public schools are faltering and the blame almost exclusively lies at the feet of politicians, school administrators, and educators.

[@KenGray]

@@hatchetscoured How can you afford NOT to de-fund that cesspool of toxic culture, consistant failure, and communist indoctrination? When something is such an abismal failure, smart people stop throwing money at it.

[@KenGray]

@@ryanh9388 don't forget the unions.

[@pierrefontecha]

Seattle Public Schools had to close 20 schools. Wow. the city is growing, where are the kids going now? Enrollment is predicted to go down even more due to dissatisfaction with the curriculum and values. They are failing. 😢

[@coolguy5555551]

The same schools that forced online learning, is now wondering why students aren’t coming back? The same teachers that taught Zoom from Puerto Rico summer resorts by the pool, are now scared they might lose their jobs via budget cuts? They’re going to pull a bait & switch just like last year! Keep your kids homeschooled, charter school or move somewhere else that never did online learning.

[@hydrokinesis9748]

Bruh you think teacher going on vacation is a systemic issue? Not on a 22-50k salary a year, bud.

[@Student0Toucher]

@@hydrokinesis9748 Vacations aren’t that expensive especially in third world countries I can take a trip to Mexico and save thousands of dollars compared to going to Hawaii or something

[@abm4579]

I see lots of people in the comment saying schools are factories for indoctrination... although there are some elements of truth in that statement but what alternatives are you providing?

[@jasondavis3521]

Hybrid learning.

[@meadow7760]

Well not something basic like the real or virtual learning that you normally think about. Someone here said earlier: Montessori style lab or library through virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) If that doesn't make sense, I'll explain. I believe that if we want high quality education, we need to combine flexible learning with virtual interactivity. But I mean virtual interactivity where you have real people. With the power of AR, you can show a map of world almost as if it were there in real life. Everyone could interact with it (zooming in, pressing to read/hear more info) all while being next to each other. With VR you can do the same but more. People can still interact with their own avatars and speak to each other using the mics on their headsets. The added bonus is that the environment itself is now virtual, and it lets learning be even more creative and more interactive. Instead of just seeing the periodic table, why not get a feel on what the elements look like? That's the future of education.

[@oliviaortiz5157]

Good job 👍👍👍👏👏👏👏 parents, keep your kids safe no public school indoctrination!!! Yeah 😂 parents didn't like to be called terrorist, and flagged by FBI for strongly opposed to what thier babies are being tough in school, by woke teachers!!! 👏👏👏👏👏😂😂👍🙏

[@jakes2702]

Yeah you show up to my door with that mask on and say “bring your kid to our school” yeah that’ll be a big no. I won’t torture my kid with those things on their face rather homeschool or private.

[@Andrina-fl9ef]

Not a fan of public school anymore at all.

[@omargarcia7821]

A thankless job. Major respect for her.

[@auro1986]

wsj and gang need them in these farms called school where future is programmed to become slaves for them

[@alparslankorkmaz2964]

Nice video.

[@joshuadominguez7109]

Spottem gottem

[@SuperSushil999]

Good video 👌👌

[@iamEddieP]

The great flight from public school to private & charter schools. This is a play on the ignorance of the public. This has nothing to do with the delta variant. Are we supposed to believe kids are just disappearing or sitting at home???

[@phoenixrising4995]

Public Schools are like NYC and Charter Schools are Texas "T".

[@malsake3739]

When you have teachers like Gabriel Gipe out there teaching ideology, there’s no wonder parents would abandon public schools.

[@Jose_Lovato2005]

Private schools rules

[@angelamata9139]

*Investing in crypto now should be in every wise individuals list, in some months time you'll be ecstatic with the decision you made today.*

[@thejwkshowyoutube1406]

Most intelligent words I've heard.

[@user-qf7qk2qf5f]

Crypto is the new gold

[@bobbiebrown9151]

I wanted to trade crypto but got discouraged by the fluctuations in price

[@aaronsarahhill9437]

That won't bother you if you trade with a professional like Mr Henry Brown.

[@whatapp5218]

I heard that his strategies are really good

[@liamsnow03]

4:23 no masks?

[@MamaPout]

Can’t believe they’re not double masking.

[@yufengyan]

lol

[@christopherwalsh3101]

Welp, that made me cry. Next!

[@usa9116]

We want more wage increase. We r dying from super high food price!!!

[@sugarly69]

First

[@Mohamed15844]

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[@hannahcarter8431]

The hateful beginner cytogenetically gather because catsup renomegaly delight pace a frequent david. harmonious, uncovered bagpipe

[@morgan1800]

Why send your kid to be indoctrinated into crazy beliefs when they can go to a private school that speaks truth about a magical person that made everything.