Recession Impacts School Budgets Nationwide

The AP (5/26) reports on the financial difficulties facing US public school districts, focusing on Stockton, California, where "hard times have spread to the local schools. Last year, the district laid off 100 teachers, gutted its summer school program and raised class sizes from 20 students to 30 in kindergarten through third grade. Now, amid uncertainty over the state budget, the 37,000-student district is laying off nearly 500 teachers, counselors, custodians and other employees. It also is preparing to pack as many as 36 students into elementary school classrooms." The AP adds that the recession led to a cascade of budget cuts and dry revenue streams that are causing layoffs, cuts in programs, and increased class sizes. Deep in the article, the AP quotes NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, "It's not just about the adults who lose their jobs. It's about the students who are impacted because they're no longer there."