As new apartment complexes are sprouting rapidly, school budgets are becoming increasingly limited.
Local class sizes and school populations in the Bay Area are rising as families continue to migrate towards the growing technology hub of America.
While the population increase varies from city to city, the presumed cause for this migration is the fast growth of technology throughout Silicon Valley. Companies such as Apple, Facebook, and Amazon have all built new headquarters in the past few years, leading to hundreds of new job openings for applicants across the country.
The companies looking for new employees have little trouble finding the right people, as benefits for working in the Bay Area often outweigh the outrageous living costs. Daniel Edwards, a production marketing manager for Google, recently moved from Portland, Oregon. He thinks the working environment is generally more productive.
“I chose to relocate to the Bay Area because I assumed I would find better opportunities both inside and outside of my job,” Edwards said. “I get to collaborate with companies I never thought I would. I see living here as an investment.”
Edwards has three children, and he plans on enrolling them in a public school. When asked about the population growth in both schools and the city, he said, “I think the growth is good, but the question now is how long until overpopulation becomes a problem.”
For local schools, overpopulation is a problem that can hopefully be avoided. Diane Burbank, principal of Woodside High School, says this year’s freshman class size is one of the largest ever.
“We are seeing a consistent rise in our class sizes,” Burbank commented. “While it hasn’t reached the point of hiring new teachers and increasing classroom sizes, it certainly could be an issue in the near future.”
Throughout the Bay Area, numerous development projects have begun in response to the recent migration and overall growth of large companies locally. A majority of these projects guarantee thousands of new residents shortly after they open.
Bill Butler, a respected Bay Area construction manager, has worked on seven new apartment buildings locally in the past year. He believes the increase of population has more factors than the increase of opportunities.
“People want to live in this part of California, the climate is consistent and most areas are considered safe. “ Butler told Woodside World. “Combine that with Silicon Valley and you have one of the most desirable places to live in the World. It’s inevitable.”
When asked about possible overpopulation in the Bay Area, Butler said, “If it is not a demanding issue for cities like Los Angeles and New York, I don’t think it will be one here anytime soon.”
