The Minneapolis Star Tribune (8/31, Mitchell) reports that after having seen "with declining enrollment for years," districts in and around Minneapolis have seen a surge in kindergarten enrollment, "forcing them to scramble this spring to find solutions." Describing it as "both a boon and a bane," the article notes that this "could mark just the beginning of an enrollment renaissance in the Minneapolis schools sparked by a rise in birth rates and a downturn in the economy, which has kept more families in the city and forced them to opt for public education over costly private options." Officials in one district say that solutions to the enrollment surge "could include adding on new space at crowded buildings or constructing new schools -- fixes that would require more staff in a district that isn't financially strapped, but not flush with cash either."
The Northwest Florida Daily News (8/31, Tammen) reports on a similar trend in some parts of Florida. In Santa Rosa County, West Navarre Primary School Principal Sandi Eubanks "said the school saw a similar spike two years ago and added on four additional classrooms for this year in preparation for high enrollment," but in the end required 16 classes. While the exact cause of the increase could be the result of a number of factors, "according to statistics released by the US Department of Health and Human Services' National Vital Statistics System, a record number of children were born in the US in 2006, the year most of the current kindergartners were born." According to sources, "the spike was due in part not only to a larger US population, but also a decrease in contraceptive use and access to abortions, as well as poor education and poverty." Pennsylvania's Chambersburg Public Opinion (8/31, Hall) reports a similar story.
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