Jobs Report Shows More Local School Job Losses

Local school districts have cut hundreds of thousands of positions over the past few years and the trend is continuing, today’s jobs report shows.  Though job losses have slowed in the past two years, local governments shed 9,000 education jobs in January and have cut 40,000 jobs since the start of the school year.

School districts have eliminated over 350,000 jobs since mid-2008 (see graph), including teachers, administrators, and crucial support staff like guidance counselors, librarians, social workers, nurses, and janitors.

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While school workforces shrink, enrollment continues to grow, by 800,000 students since 2008.

With fewer staff and resources and more students, overburdened schools will find it much more difficult to provide students with a quality education.