Changes, Changes, Changes.

Three lists for you to ponder. First: 5,712; 5,188; 4,575; 4,061; 3,550; 3,185; 2,937. Next: Remington Rand, Union Carbide, Marietta Paint and Color; Connex. Finally: Fairview; Stanleyville; Norwood.
Those three lists offer insight to your local schools past and present. Sort of a synoptic history of where we were and how we got to where we are. And by extension, the future.
Anyone watching local employment issues will remember the company names cited above. Companies that either have left the area, been absorbed by another company and jobs eliminated, or no longer exist at all owing to changes in markets and technology. Here’s another one. Strecker Brothers. Manufacturer of saddlery and other horse related equipment much less in demand today than in days gone by.
Changes in the U. S. job market have impacted the local economy in ways that continue to ripple through various systems. The impact has not been favorable from a demographic perspective. There are fewer jobs locally than in previous years. Which means fewer families, fewer children fewer residents overall. You can add an embarrassingly large number of other names to the above list of companies that no longer provide jobs in the area.
The last list above should not be a mystery to anyone who has lived in the local area for some time. These are the names of three of the eleven elementary schools that once served our district. Only four remain. It takes only four buildings to house all of our current elementary students.
Each of the closings was anguishing to the residents of the areas served by those schools. Each closing reflected a decline in the number of area students served by that school. Along with each closing came hard feelings. Lost community spirit. Increasing challenges to provide for the remaining students.
By contrast, perhaps one of the fastest growing districts in the country is Clark County, Nevada. Their population is growing by over 6,000 residents per month. They open a new school every month to accommodate the children of those residents. A situation that brings many problems of its own but most not related to the problems we experience locally.
Finally we come to the first list above. 5,712 was the peak number of students served by Marietta City Schools. 5,188 is the number of students in the school year 1972-73. 4,575 was the number in 1978-79. 4,061 was the count in 1988-89. 3,550 attended in 1999-00. 3,185 were present in 2003-04. Our current year finds 2,937 students in attendance. 48.6% less than our highest number of students.
Our student body has declined on average 89.1 students per year for the past ten years. It gets a bit better as you approach the present. Only an average decline of 77.2 students per year over the past 5 years and 74 per year average over the past 3 years. The loss seems to be declining with time. But it is still alarming and indicative of times to come. It sends a clear signal that planning is required.
The current Senior Class has 226 students and the Kindergarten Class has 220. This translates to an average reduction in class size in the district of 6 students.
All of this information must be taken into account as future plans for the district are contemplated. The future comes whether one is prepared or not.
This and other board articles may be found at: http://mariettacityschoolboard.blogspot.com