Never in the history of Pennsylvania have so many teachers lost their jobs. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, at least 4,000 teachers statewide have been laid off. Thousands more educational support employees have lost their jobs as well.
That is 4,000 less paychecks circulating in the state. The loss of a teacher's job ripples through the economy and destroys about half of another job somewhere--restaurants, retail stores, manufacturing.
These massive teacher layoffs are one reason that Pennsylvania's job machine that had been a leader in the nation in creating jobs from January 2010 to April 2011 went into reverse in May and June 2011 when Pennsylvania lost nearly 17,000 jobs.
How does laying off 4,000 teachers make education better? How does laying off 4,000 teachers help children? How does laying off 4,000 teachers make Pennsylvania's economy and future stronger, better, and more prosperous?
As a retired Pennsylvania art educator of 38 years (now a resident of Florida), I must offer my condolences. However, Florida's governor, Rick Scott has proposed a budget for 2012 that can only remove more than 19,000 teachers from their posts. This is a national disaster being carried out by Republican legislators and governors state by state, and the public seems to be going along with it. I am horrified!
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