DGS49
Diamond Member
The Superintendent of the Pittsburgh Public Schools was quoted yesterday as saying that an 11% drop in the size of the Fall 2014 Pittsburgh kindergarten class was a serious problem for the school system that would have to be addressed.
Why?
Fewer kids means higher teacher-student ratio - which is particularly important with the younger kids.
Fewer kids means higher spending per student (tax revenues are not affected by student population).
The relevant demographic trends in Pittsburgh are (1) minority women having fewer kids, and (2) quite a bit of upscale construction and renovation as older folks (like me) decide they want to move back into the City as they get closer to retirement. And happily one might note that old bastards who can afford the upscale housing don't generally have school-age children.
It's all good. Even for the schools.
It's only a "problem" if you see the schools as your personal fiefdom and fear that it might get a little smaller. But it's a good trend for the students and for the School System as a whole.
Please correct my thinking, if I'm wrong.
Why?
Fewer kids means higher teacher-student ratio - which is particularly important with the younger kids.
Fewer kids means higher spending per student (tax revenues are not affected by student population).
The relevant demographic trends in Pittsburgh are (1) minority women having fewer kids, and (2) quite a bit of upscale construction and renovation as older folks (like me) decide they want to move back into the City as they get closer to retirement. And happily one might note that old bastards who can afford the upscale housing don't generally have school-age children.
It's all good. Even for the schools.
It's only a "problem" if you see the schools as your personal fiefdom and fear that it might get a little smaller. But it's a good trend for the students and for the School System as a whole.
Please correct my thinking, if I'm wrong.