Budget Cuts Take Toll on Teachers
Teachers nationwide could face sharp reductions in their ranks as state and local governments tackle crippling budget shortfalls, NBC Nightly News reports. In Providence, R.I., school board members voted last Thursday not to lay off teachers but to fire all 1,926 of them with no plan, charged Steve Smith, head of the Providence Teachers Union: The city says it will rehire the teachers it needs and let the rest go. The mayor says it’s time for drastic action against seemingly ironclad benefits packages.
Similar sentiments are being voiced in New York City, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he is a supporter of unions but his preliminary city budget suggests close to 4,700 teachers could lose their jobs. Some schools could lose half the faculty, according to the NY Daily News. Meanwhile, Austin Independent School District in Texas, which is slated to cut more than 1,000 employees, hopes volunteer “classroom coaches” will help ease teacher layoffs, KXAN reports.
Volunteers to help ease teacher layoffs
Filed under: K-12 Education News
Tags: Education Policy, Public Policy, Teachers
