The financial meltdown has dealt a painful blow to our nation’s schools, and in the coming months, drastic budget cuts could force hundreds of thousands of teachers out of work.
In Cleveland, Ohio, outraged teachers demand the school district reconsider drastic cuts that would eliminate hundreds of teachers, and double the student-to-teacher ratio. One student commented “They told us they are cutting like 800 teachers and they are cramming more students, almost 50 students in a class. That’s just too much.”
In Charlotte, North Carolina, a dwindling budget has students worried that growing class sizes will compromise their education. In New York state, as many as 15,000 teachers could be let go, in Illinois 17,000, and in California, 22,000 teachers could be out of a job by June in total, the national number could reach 300,000.
Besides teachers’ being at risk of losing their jobs, students’ are at risk of their programs being eliminated such as music, arts, and sports activities.
Last year congress approved $100 billion in emergency education financing, but states have spent much of that money already, given the many financial problems facing Washington, it’s uncertain whether the federal government will step in again.