[sunrico90]

8,000 students difference from 2006 to 2007 is this another face of the struggling economy?

http://www.gainesville.com/article/2...0312/1002/NEWS

[leavin_florida]

There are two reasons for fewer students in public schools in Florida - Fewer students and more students in alternative education.

A few years ago there wasn't a for sale sign on my street. In fact, three new homes were built on my block. Now three of the 7 homes on my block are for sale (down from 5 because two of the home owners gave up and took their homes off the market). The state is full of vacant homes owned by the bank. It all adds up to fewer students.

If you know anything about how Florida public education measures up nationally - you know why many parents are electing to school their children at home. Nationally home schooling is growing at 10-15% a year. In addtion to traditional home schooling - online schools are becomming more popular. Florida Virtual School offers a far more challenging curriculum than the school my kids attended.

[sunrico90]

My kids completed high school in Florida and are both excelling. I know of many friends that their kids are achieving success after graduating from Florida public schools and have completed post graduate degrees . Yes we do have some problems, but I do believe that we as parents we are part of the problem because some gave up and the family nucleus is no longer in place. We are fortunate that we are not affected by the same problems as many in our state, but we always got to fight for the best interest of our children. If we give up, who is fighting for our kids?

[Wild Style]

I don't think its the face of the struggling economy. It is the face of people leaving Florida as that chamber of commerce reports stated last month.

[Magnulus]

Partly it is probably home schooling.

If people are leaving Florida, that can only be a good thing. Florida's economic fundamentals just aren't there to support all the people that came into the state. The bullish types love to talk about the record unemployment that Florida has had but they fail to mention the extremely low pay of most of these jobs, or the high costs of living.