Study projects over 200K education jobs to be cut

ARLINGTON, Va. — A new survey by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) gives a grim outlook for education jobs in the U.S.

The study found that close to two-thirds (65 percent) of the responding school districts eliminated personnel in the 2010-11 school year, and nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of the districts anticipate doing so in 2011-12.

AASA Executive Director Daniel Domenech said that the results “illustrate that the continued economic recession at the state level, the cessation of emergency federal funding (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and Education Jobs Fund) and actual and anticipated funding cuts in federal FY11 and FY12 appropriations are having a devastating effect on staffing the nation’s public schools.”

Respondents to the survey plan to cut a total of 17,502 education jobs in the 2011-12 school year:

• 8,523.9 teacher jobs;
• 3,185.9 pupil support services jobs;
• 982.7 administrative jobs; and
• 4,810.1 classified jobs.

Based on this representative sample, AASA estimated that 227,000 education jobs are on the chopping block in school districts across the nation for the 2011-12 school year.

“No question this will mean larger class sizes and more belt-tightening,” Domenech added.

To view the full survey, click here.

In related news, AASA and the National School Boards Association have petitioned the U.S. Department of Education and Congress for relief from a heavy load of regulatory requirements stemming from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, popularly known as No Child Left Behind.

Specifically, the petition requests suspension of additional sanctions under the current Adequate Yearly Progress requirements effective this coming school year: no new schools would be labeled as “In Need of Improvement” or subject to new or additional sanctions.