The Bennington Banner reports that a new paper written by policy analyst Heather Brome and issued by the New England Public Policy Center suggests that New England's "brain drain," or the exodus of young residents to other states, may have been exaggerated. According to Brome, although there are fewer people between the ages of 25 and 39 in New England today, the number of young professionals did not decrease in the region from 1990 to 2005. Notably, Brome was hesitant to apply her findings directly to Vermont because she has not examined the state-by-state data in depth. In response to the findings, Representative Joseph Krawczyk, R-Bennington, stated that Vermont may not be experiencing the same general trend as the rest of New England and should continue to work to bring young people to the state.
Last year, the Next Generation Commission was convened by the Vermont General Assembly to examine different ways to encourage young people to stay in Vermont. The group examined several solutions including an increase in funding and scholarships to help people attending Vermont colleges.
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