Layoff notices sent to thousands of US teachers

Hundreds of thousands of public school teachers across the United States are facing possible layoffs this coming academic year. Confronting massive budget deficits, school districts throughout the country have been sending out notices ("pink slips") to employees this spring, warning them that they are unlikely to have a job in the fall. The bloodletting is worst in California, Illinois, New York, Michigan, and New Jersey, but nearly every region in the country is affected. Pink slips were sent out to 22,000 teachers in California, 17,000 in Illinois, and 15,000 in New York. The jobs of 8,000 school employees in Michigan, 6,000 in New Jersey, and 5,000 in Oklahoma may also be axed. These numbers are expected to increase in coming months. Officials in Illinois report that as many as 20,000 educators could lose their jobs in the state. In California, an additional 4,000 people may be put on notice. US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan stated earlier this week that between 100,000 to 300,000 public education positions in the US are in danger. A study conducted by the American Association of School Administrators found that ninety percent of the nation's school superintendents plan to cut jobs in the fall. This represents an increase of about 30 percent over the previous year. The mass layoffs have the Obama administration's stamp of approval.