School Districts Forecasted to Cut Jobs

Given the downturn in the economy and falling tax receipts, school districts across the country are expected to dramatically reduce headcount in the upcoming year.

Based on a survey of school administrators from 49 states, a total of 275,000
education jobs are expected to be cut in 2011, according to the American
Association of School Administrators.

"Faced with continued budgetary constraints, school leaders across the nation are forced to consider an unprecedented level of layoffs that would negatively impact economic recovery and deal a devastating blow to public education," said AASA Executive Director Dan Domenech.

It's high time that school districts around the country were forced to tighten their belts a bit and respond to market realities just like other businesses, instead of relying on ever-higher tax revenues to hide their bloated staff and pay.

Of the projected job cuts, about 54% are teacher positions, 9% are support personnel, such as nurses and guidance counselors, 5% are administrative and 31% are classified, a category including maintenance employees and cafeteria workers.

It's telling that such a high proportion of the job cuts (46%) are expected to come from non-teaching positions. This is further evidence that school districts have turned into a bloated bureaucracy that is ripe for downsizing.