Show Grammar and High School l i Enrollment Reaches Record High Principals in high schools across the country are beginning to think about where to put the extra seats and find the quality teachers that will be needed for the coming wave of stu stu- stu- stu dents According to Education Department projections the children and grandchildren of baby boomers ti will help drive enrollment in the nations nation's schools and colleges to record levels by the end of the century ry ry- Not only are more students going to school more are staying in school The influx of students will create a need for extra help in the basics and core academics and will create a need for more funds to keep schools safe V and drug Greater financial aid for college fc will also be needed This comes at a ag g time when Congress is proposing to cut federal support by byi i 36 billion over the next seven years As soon as this coming school year 96 1995 the number of students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents in elementary and secondary schools may equal or surpass the boom baby-boom generations generation's 1971 peak of 51 million students The forecast is for 53 million students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents in 1997 55 million by 2002 College enrollment is projected to jump more more than 13 million students f over the next seven years t. t At a recent White House briefing with President Clinton members of Congress and representatives of education education education edu edu- cation groups US U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. W Riley said he fears the nation will be prepared ill-prepared for this enrollment growth If Congress is successful in cutting cutting cutting cut cut- ting support for elementary and secondary secondary secondary sec sec- education by 19 percent and reducing assistance for deserving students to attend college students and citizens seeking higher education could suffer obvious and hazardous cut Slashing education is bad for Americas America's children and our nations nation's future Riley saidI saidI saidI said I have to question the members of Congress who would put less important priorities ahead of arming our children against ignorance and mediocrity by giving them a good start in life she said Riley said education budget cuts are a threat to the internal security of the nation at a time when are faced with serving significantly more students The gap between the unparalleled unparalleled unparalleled increase in students and the unprecedented cut in educational investment is the education gap that our nation faces Riley said The children of the famous postwar postwar postwar post post- war baby boom are now parents sending their own children to nr nV i 1 school he said But in these increasingly tough times Congress is placing the burden on states and communities to find the resources to improve the quality of American education These cuts will produce a tidal wave of teenagers who wont won't get the basic skills they need said Riley Students are not getting the high standards and disciplined learning environment they deserve Someone who is willing to put forth effort and work to attend school should be able to find quality instruction and financial financial financial finan finan- cial assistance The US U.S. House of Representatives has passed a spending spending spending spend spend- ing bill for the coming that cuts federal education spending by 4 billion The US U.S. Senate is expected to consider education appropriations next month following an August recess President Clinton has said he will veto the bill if it reaches his desk deskin in its present form The Presidents President's budget balanced-budget plan would erase the budget deficit while increasing education investments investments investments invest invest- ments by 40 billion Reley said that his department estimates that from 1994 to 2002 public school K 12 enrollments will increase from 44 to 49 million High school grades 9 12 will increase nationally by 15 percent i |