The article cites a decline in birthrate and an outmigration of the area's youth as culprits and suggests a rescue by Gov. Paul Patton's economic development efforts. But the mountains don't need more people.
Overpopulation is the problem.
For years the population, though sparse, has been too large for the economy to support. A decline in population as a result of family planning efforts to reduce the number of unwed mothers and their dependents is a good thing. The migration of youth for jobs and education is another good thing. If the function of public education is to prepare students for the workplace, then the emigration of graduates to find jobs is a sign of a successful educational system. And as long as the spending per student is unchanged, the reduction in funding when the number of students shrinks is not necessarily bad for school districts.