It’s not exactly a state secret that these are tough times for local schools.
The news did not get any better yesterday. A surve released in Harrisburg indicated 68 percent of districts are considering layoffs of instructional staff.
We’ve heard the same, sad refrain from just about every school district in Delaware County.
On Sunday, we will kick off a weeklong series on the budget crisis facing local schools.
We’re calling it “Schools of Hard Knocks,” and we’ll examine the forces that have combined to put local school boards in a vise, considering a toxic concotion of job cuts, reduced curriculum and tax hikes.
Don’t miss it.
In the meantime, here’s some more sobering statistics from yesterday’s survey of 263 Pennsylvania school districts:
86% are considering increasing class size.
75% are considering eliminating or reducing extracurricular activities, including sports programs.
68% are considering layoffs of instructional staff (compared with 11%)
64% are considering eliminating or reducing tutoring.
51% are considering eliminating summer school.
31% are considering raising property taxes by more than the inflation rate.
31% are considering eliminating full-day kindergarten.
26% are considering closing schools.
8% are considering operating at a deficit.
The news did not get any better yesterday. A surve released in Harrisburg indicated 68 percent of districts are considering layoffs of instructional staff.
We’ve heard the same, sad refrain from just about every school district in Delaware County.
On Sunday, we will kick off a weeklong series on the budget crisis facing local schools.
We’re calling it “Schools of Hard Knocks,” and we’ll examine the forces that have combined to put local school boards in a vise, considering a toxic concotion of job cuts, reduced curriculum and tax hikes.
Don’t miss it.
In the meantime, here’s some more sobering statistics from yesterday’s survey of 263 Pennsylvania school districts:
86% are considering increasing class size.
75% are considering eliminating or reducing extracurricular activities, including sports programs.
68% are considering layoffs of instructional staff (compared with 11%)
64% are considering eliminating or reducing tutoring.
51% are considering eliminating summer school.
31% are considering raising property taxes by more than the inflation rate.
31% are considering eliminating full-day kindergarten.
26% are considering closing schools.
8% are considering operating at a deficit.
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