Portland Continues to Lose School Children

[george conklin]

Even as the population of metropolitan Portland continues to increase, the
Portland school district, which nine years ago enrolled 58,000 students, now
enrolls fewer than 47,000. Two in five Portland households once were
composed of families with children. That number now is one in five.

Portland Ñ or just about all parts of it west of Interstate 205 Ñ is losing
its children. And even as the city thrives in other ways, a range of leaders
worry about what the loss could mean for the city's future.

"To me, it's a tremendous concern," city Commissioner Dan Saltzman said.

[rotten]

Post by george conklin
Even as the population of metropolitan Portland continues to increase, the
Portland school district, which nine years ago enrolled 58,000 students, now
enrolls fewer than 47,000. Two in five Portland households once were
composed of families with children. That number now is one in five.
Portland Ñ or just about all parts of it west of Interstate 205 Ñ is losing
its children. And even as the city thrives in other ways, a range of leaders
worry about what the loss could mean for the city's future.
"To me, it's a tremendous concern," city Commissioner Dan Saltzman said.

No matter what, cities will have a hard time attracting families to
them... perhaps with enough good schools and safe streets they might,
but let's face the facts. People want space for their children to run
around and grow up in. People's views of a family is a single family
house with a yard.

Their best bet is improving their schools and reigning in crime, two
things that are unlikely to happen. But cities will continue to
attract young professionals, which is fine by me.