That has contributed to a rise in school enrollment from 1,132 students in 1991-92 to 1,550 this school year. The ability to give students individual attention decreases. Growth hits schools harder than any other aspect of community life. The cost of educating children who move into new homes far outpaces the taxes their families pay. The figures add up to problems for schools in fast-growing towns.
Education suffers as class sizes increase.
Property taxes rise as schools need more money to serve all the new students. At the Lunt School, for kindergarten through second grade, a 10-classroom modular building is being built this summer to relieve crowding. Gorham has taken a different approach toward rising school enrollment. Rather than letting budgets mushroom to accommodate growth, the town has held the line on its per-pupil spending. Home construction has pushed Gorham's enrollment from 2,058 students in 1990 to a projected 2,500 this fall.