June 11, 2017, Concord (NH) Monitor: How taxes rise while enrollment drops in N.H. school districts like Merrimack Valley
http://www.concordmonitor.com/MVSD-spending-and-taxes-over-time-9680179
…School administrators across the state also often point to growing special education needs. And in Merrimack Valley, the costs have skyrocketed. Minus state and federal reimbursements, the district spent $5.2 million on special education during the 2006-07 school year. Ten years later, it spent $10.3 million.
MacLean said that, aside from a growing complexity and severity of needs, the biggest cost driver is paying for specialists, especially when a district can’t retain someone in-house.
Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.