Report Says Effects Of Recession Likely To Impact School Districts For Years

Sean Cavanagh wrote in the Education Week (10/7) "State EdWatch" blog that a new report by the Center for Public Education says that "school districts around the country are laying off teachers, cutting instructional programs, and eliminating student activities as they absorb the lingering effects of 'The Great Recession.'" And, it says, it may take "up to a decade...for district budgets to recover to their pre-recession levels," as the budgets will likely be impacted by "lagging home prices, poor state budgets, and reduced federal stimulus funding, which is expected to run out by 2011." In addition, districts "are complying with the 'underfunded mandates' of the Individuals with Disabilities Act and the No Child Left Behind Act, as well as with their own states' academic requirements," which has further impact on their budgets, study authors say.