According to the US Census Bureau, there are out of 3,000 counties more than 900 are where people 65 and olter are now outnumbering children. Seniors in some 33 counties hold a 2 to 1 advantage.
The combination of rising life expectancy and falling overall fertility in the US means that by the middle of the century, America will join Japan, Italy, France, Spain and other areas around the world where people 65 and older outnumber those 17 and under.
Since many seniors are on fixed income, older residents need to be supportive of schools. Seniors will give priority to health-care and police protection over education. Seniors also tend to be conservative voters and vote against any tax increase.The Census Bureau says that the higher the proportion of seniors in a community, the lower the support for public school funding. In addition, while seniors will continue to be overwhelming white, the US Department of Education projects that white students will be a minority in the school-age population by 2030. Because these seniors vote, school budgets need to have senior votes. It is imperative that schools and districts, engage these seniors.