Teacher Layoffs: Kids Will Pay the Price

Two weeks ago, more than 25,000 California teachers and other school staffers, including more than 8,800 in the Los Angeles Unified School District, received possible layoff notices. These notices were informing them that they may not have their jobs when the next school year begins in September. This was because the state’s public education budget was recently cut by $11.6 billion. Even before the budget cuts, California was ranked 47th in the nation for spending per pupil, according to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell.  The layoffs will not be final until May, when the state have a final budget that includes funds from the federal stimulus package. In the meantime, teachers are fighting back. The California Teacher’s Association organized protest events throughout the state called “Pink Slip Friday,” on Friday, March 13 to raise awareness about the layoffs. Pictures of protesting teachers and their supporters, wearing pink and black, were all over the local and national news. The local teacher’s union, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), is organizing another protest for the March 31 Los Angeles School Board meeting. Even if the actual number of laid-off teachers is half of what the state is expecting, it’s still too many. Because fewer teachers mean more kids in every class.  Although the United States is in an economic crisis, the focus should remain on educating the youth not cutting back on education.

In a recent survey sponsored by UTLA, 88% of teachers believe that smaller class size results in higher test scores. It seems like common sense. Yet the connection between class size and performance is actually the subject of a lot of debate. The effects of class size on literacy, math skills and test scores have been difficult to measure. Critics of California’s Class Size Reduction Program (CSR) say that it is impossible to separate the effects of the program from other initiatives such as improving teacher credentials that may have improved test scores. In addition, critics have pointed out that districts have to take money from other programs to fund CSR.  According to statistics from the California Teacher’s Association, class size matters a lot to California families and communities because the state ranks 49th in the nation for number of teachers per student. Their fact sheet on class size includes a 2001 study from Princeton University that showed that smaller class size improved test scores for African-American students by almost 40%. A 2005 study of the Tennessee class size program, Project STAR (which stands for Student-Teacher Achievement Ratio), showed that reducing class size improved high school graduation rates. A 2003 study of a class size reduction program in Wisconsin concluded that smaller classes helped to diminish the achievement gap between African-American students and white students.

Some experts believe that students perform better in smaller classes because teachers execute lesson plans better when they have fewer students to manage. The theory is that there are fewer distractions in the classroom and teacher morale is better.  According to findings from studies conducted in England, Hong Kong, Switzerland and the U.S. that were presented to the American Education Research Association in 2008, students in smaller classes tend to behave better and focus more. In other words, it might not be about whether teaching smaller classes is easier for teachers. It might be about how students actually feel and respond when they are assigned to smaller classes. For example, students in smaller classes may expect to get more one on one time with the teacher. Or they may feel like they can’t get away with misbehaving in a smaller class.  No matter what the studies, statistics and test scores show, no parent would want his or her child to learn in an overcrowded classroom. At Foothill Ranch Elementary School in Orange County, parents felt so strongly about the Class Size Reduction program, they raised $50,000 in one month to protect the program from budget cuts in 2008.

The mission of the Accelerated School is “to graduate students who are prepared to succeed at the University of their choice; who will enter the workforce as informed and productive employees, entrepreneurs, and community leaders; and who will act as socially aware and responsible citizens.” The educators who started the school in 1994 were convinced that a school can have a big impact on its community. And they have convinced their community that quality education will make the community stronger by educating children who will grow up to become responsible adults who are committed to the community and equipped to solve its problems. The Accelerated Schools treats all students as if they are gifted students. The school takes an active,  learning by doing approach, rather than by listening or reading passively. This is a more labor-intensive way to teach. I work as a volunteer in a third grade class at The Accelerated School in South Central. I go once a week to help the teacher, Ms. Croteau and every week she is glad to see me because she is spread pretty thin. She has 28 kids in her class and they are eight to nine years old so they can get pretty crazy at times.  The Accelerated School is a charter school, which means that it has more flexibility than ordinary public schools, but the school is more accountable for student performance and teachers are measured by how well their students perform. So the prospect of larger class sizes is likely to hit the school very hard. Ms. Croteau does a really good job with 28 kids and I am sure she will continue to do her best no matter how many more kids are in her class next year. But it will be much harder for the school to fulfill its mission, if her classroom becomes even more crowded than it is today. Moreover, the teacher layoffs will make it harder on her students and may affect their future success.

The large budget cuts is an issue that is greater than California, it is a nationwide problem. With these cutbacks, many schools are suffering.  Teachers are being overwhelmed by larger class sizes and students are not always challenged to reach their full potential.  California teachers, staff, and parents are currently fighting to prevent the layoffs that occured "Pink Slip Friday" because they know the full extent and ramifications that come with decreasing the number of educators.  With all of the detailed research done on the affect of teacher layoffs, it is concerning that the state of California would allow this to continue without taking a stand.  After all, children are the future.