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The demographic changes come from declining birth rates in the state. Fewer children in public schools means fewer state subsidies that are based on enrollment. The coming ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œdemographic cliffÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� in higher education affects public education first.

The financial challenges come from a multitude of directions.

One is the growing emphasis on career and technical education (CTE). As young people wise up to the fact that some college degrees donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t provide the high-paying jobs they once did, they also see they can make good livings in blue-collar jobs. If this trend continues, schools will face more demand for these programs. Training someone in these jobs can be more expensive than providing advanced classes in advanced math or literature. ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s a question of whether local schools will have the equipment and facilities to provide CTE classes if demand keeps growing.

Other costs are going up for local school systems, too, just as they are for households. At a Cabell County Board of Education meeting this week to discuss its proposed fiscal year 2024-25 budget, which takes effect July 1, Superintendent Ryan Saxe said it has also been difficult for the board to cut costs while also attempting to keep up with regular maintenance requests from the schools in the county. He also noted the board must deal with several unfunded mandates from the state Legislature that the board is forced to fund and comply with, such as placing cameras in special education classrooms.

And there are other pressures on school budgets. At TuesdayÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s meeting, board Treasurer Drew Rottgen said the central administration portion of the budget rose nearly $1 million between FY 2023 and FY 2024 almost entirely because of rising general liability insurance costs. He said other increases in personnel budgeting could also be mainly attributed to rising PEIA costs, as well as the mandated 5% pay increase by the Legislature.

These pressures are not unique to Cabell County. Boards of education in all 55 counties face more demands for services in a time of rising costs. Difficult decisions are ahead for both board members and voters.