Written by Justin Lee Edited by Brandon Trinh
While only two years ago, 2020’s COVID playbook incited an exodus from public schools that stands unprecedented in modern US history. Parents grapple the upcoming weeks with dreaded solidarity amidst the return to, or threat of, remote learning first introduced at the pandemic’s inception. Families are fleeing from local district schools for more options – homeschooling, co-op arrangements, and “pandemic pods,” in which families band together to help small groups of children learn at home. This exodus resulted in newfound scrutiny of education establishments, spearheaded by the severe backlash against a system that has disempowered students and parents nationwide.
Yet, this departure from the public school system is to be expected. Public schools have been beset with overcrowded classrooms, underpaid teachers, and decrepit buildings for decades. Consequently, the intermittent surge of COVID variants and cases stretched schools to their breaking point. But while public school closures were fixated initially by the pandemic, enrollment challenges are still prevalent today. The New York City education system struggled to retain student enrollment, with at least 75 percent of the city’s public schools reporting a decline. Similarly, west coast cities such as Oakland voted to close several public schools due to falling enrollment; Oakland’s decline is partly due to families leaving California due to its pandemic response. Even so, this abandonment stretches far beyond parents and students — teachers are also searching for other options.
Education amidst the pandemic extended the job of the teacher, who was now tasked with contact tracing, mask enforcement, and the smooth transition back into the public education system. These extensive demands led to various conflicts, with teachers having to contend with anger from parents and local politicians for pandemic education. Political candidates advanced the decades-long conflict against teacher unions, with some politicians blaming teachers for a slow school reopening and others citing teachers for harming students. Nationwide, these conflicts drove teachers and parents into burnout, affecting jobs, mental health, and student education. Hence, this added stress led to more teachers quitting the profession, with few taking their shoes. While some school districts tried to ameliorate the staffing shortage by instating “mental health days,” this developing dynamic between parents and teachers pushed schools to their breaking points.
Though the Omicron variant imposed more stringent regulations on public education, it also progressed the dichotomy between some parents that applaud districts for their anti-pandemic regimes and other parents that consider the response an afterthought. Texas and Florida, two states that lacked strict coronavirus restrictions, oversaw large population increases throughout 2021. On the contrary, California and New York — two states with stricter pandemic policies — saw their populations decrease similarly. Public schools throughout California and New York bear the brunt of this migration, with New York City’s public schools losing upwards of 38,000 students and Los Angeles’s public schools losing 17,000. As a result, school districts such as Denver Public Schools have urged families to reject grants and stipends and to “stay enrolled in your school!”. With the US spending around $15,000 per student in a public school annually, the nationwide exodus of 3.5 million students would cost public school funding shortfalls of around $52 billion.
As public schools around the country embrace the upcoming school year, families seek more educational freedom. The current momentum away from government-funded schools welcomes a free market of learning opportunities, ensuring that families have access to educational services that work best for their children. Though public schools are doubling down on social distancing, health requirements, and safety protocols, more parents would undoubtedly depart from these schools in search of more options — homeschooling rates have doubled in 2021 and remain a popular choice. Buoyed by this shift away from a government-gripped education system, these parents and children will be able to enjoy newfound freedom in schooling in the years to come.
Sources
Dreamstime. “Pandemic Pods Will Make the Inequality in American Schools Even Worse.” Pandemic Pods Will Only Deepen School Segregation | Barron's, Barrons, 23 July 2020, www.barrons.com/articles/parents-are-forming-exclusive-school-pods-more-inequality-will-follow-51595511661
Jimenez, Omar, and Holly Yan. “Chicago Students to Miss a Second Day of Classes as Teachers Remain at Home.” CNN, Cable News Network, 6 Jan. 2022, www.cnn.com/2022/01/05/us/chicago-schools-teachers-union-vote-remote-learning-wednesday/index.html
“LAUSD Expects Enrollment to Plummet by 'Alarming' 30% in the next Decade.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2022, www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-05-18/l-a-unified-enrollment-expect-to-plummet-leading-to-academic-and-employment-worries.
North, Anna. “America Doesn't Have Enough Teachers to Keep Schools Open.” Vox, Vox, 5 Jan. 2022, www.vox.com/the-goods/22868641/chicago-school-closings-omicron-covid-remote-learning.
O'Connell-Domenech, Alejandra. “New York City Public School Enrollment Continues to Drop amid COVID-19 Pandemic.” The Hill, The Hill, 1 Feb. 2022, thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/education/592143-new-york-city-public-school-enrollment-continues-to/.
Reilly, Katie. “The Pandemic Is Adding to Public School Enrollment Problems.” Time, Time, 9 Feb. 2022, time.com/6146541/oakland-schools-closing-enrollment/.
Shenton, Jamie E. “Why Politicians Want to Convince Parents That Teachers Are Harming Kids: Opinion.” Journal, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 June 2022, www.courier-journal.com/story/opinion/2022/06/02/why-politicians-want-convince-parents-teachers-harming-kids/9891312002/
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