The different ways leaders are handling declining enrollment

Declining enrollment continues to plague school districts nationwide, forcing leaders to get creative with their solutions.

In Alabama, state leaders are hopeful that the expansion of the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law will mitigate enrollment declines, according to AL.com. The bill would prohibit discussions about gender identity in all public school grades, rather than just K through 5.

The bill aims to meet the needs of frustrated parents, the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, said in an interview with the news outlet.

“And as you’re seeing with the decreased enrollment, and a lot of it’s the CHOOSE Act and the virtual school or home schooling, but there absolutely is a dissatisfaction with what we’re doing, and I see this as helping public education get them back to their actual core charge,” Butler told AL.com.

Meanwhile, state officials argue that this is not the reason for declining enrollment.

Leaders in Maryland’s largest public school system, Montgomery County Public Schools, revealed at their latest school board meeting that enrollment is dropping due to declining birthrates, Fox 5 News reports.

In the coming years, enrollment is expected to drop significantly, according to district Capital Budget and Projects Manager Donald Connelly. He told the news outlet that Montgomery County anticipates losing more than 6,000 students in the next six years.

The problem is not unique to Montgomery County. After a decade of steady growth, public school enrollment in Utah has declined for a third consecutive year, according to KSL.com.

Prior to 2020, public school enrollment in Utah hadn’t declined since 2000. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Molly Hart cites several contributing factors, including declining birthrates.

“Utah’s enrollment trends mirror the broader demographic shifts we’re seeing nationwide—smaller birth cohorts, slowing in-migration, and increased school choice,” Hart said in a public statement. “While the numbers are declining overall, the data also remind us that our educational responsibilities are growing more complex as a greater share of students require specialized supports.”

Florida’s Broward County Public Schools is facing an $85 million budget deficit after losing nearly 10,000 students this school year, CBS News reports. During a school board workshop this month, Superintendent Howard Hepburn said the district is “navigating one of the most complex financial periods in recent history.”

School Board Member Allen Zeman said that 80% of the losses may be linked to immigration enforcement, according to the news outlet. The district has proposed several actions to mitigate further losses, including laying off a potential 300 employees and closing or repurposing six schools.

“It costs between $2 million to $5 million to operate a school, so you save that and the cost to operate,” Zeman said.

Broward County is also considering cutting overtime, leaving vacant positions open and forming its own police force to compensate for the rising cost of resource officers,” according to CBS News.

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