(NewsNation) — Thousands of teachers and school staff are expected to lose their jobs as districts nationwide brace for a sharp decline in funding due to the expiration of massive federal pandemic relief aid.
The roughly $190 billion in K-12 relief was the largest single injection of federal money into U.S. public education. It allowed many districts to hire additional staff, from teachers to tutors to mental health counselors, to cope with COVID-19’s upheaval.
But that three-year funding boom is quickly closing, with the money required to be spent by September. Districts simultaneously face challenges like enrollment declines and rising costs that are squeezing budgets further, CNN reported.
As a result, school systems around the country have warned of likely staffing cuts for the next academic year as they struggle to fund positions created during the pandemic’s peak.
In Hartford, 30 teachers and 79 other staffers have received layoff notices. In total, 384 positions will be eliminated, including some vacancies, according to CNN.
The Missoula, Montana, district is considering cutting 46 staffers, including the special education director and fine arts director, to help offset a budget shortfall driven partly by a 5% enrollment decline since 2019, per CNN.
And in Arlington, Texas, the public school system will lay off 275 employees in positions funded by the expiring federal aid, such as after-school program staff and tutors, CNN reported.
Researchers estimate over 380,000 full-time school staff could lose jobs if districts revert to pre-pandemic staffing levels from 2018-19, according to CNN.
Education experts warn high-poverty schools serving primarily students of color are at the highest risk of severe layoffs. They urge districts to consider teacher performance over seniority to retain their best talent, especially for in-demand roles like math and special education.
The wave of potential pink slips compounds pressures on K-12 education from a teacher shortage exacerbated by the health crisis, contentious classroom culture war battles, and the challenge of helping students recover academically from pandemic learning disruptions.
Districts have just months left to spend the final portion of the federal aid approved in 2021 under the American Rescue Plan. The money had few restrictions beyond a requirement that 20% addressed learning loss, according to CNN.
