Cuts to education budget in Florida will result in layoffs, EducationCrossing finds 10,000 jobs.

February 11, 2011   |    PDF version

Pasadena, CA — Florida governor Rick Scott's proposal to cut education spending by 10 percent is going to result in layoffs in most of the school districts in the state.

Most school districts were expecting some cuts, but the size of the cuts, around $300 per student on average, surprised them. The cost cutting is mainly going to affect arts and music classes, extracurricular activities and athletics. Another bill has also raised teachers' concerns about them being made scapegoats in the name of education reform.

The Florida Senate Education Committee has passed by 3-0 a bill that paves the way for abolishing teacher tenure and performance-based pay. The bill, Senate Bill 736 is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott. He strongly supports merit pay for teachers. This would mean that teachers' salaries will be raised only if their students do well on standardized tests. Teacher tenure would also be abolished. The changes would take place from 2014.

The move has been heavily opposed by the teachers unions. But the bill has several backers too. Michelle Rhee, the former high profile D.C. schools chancellor is one of them. She told the committee on Tuesday that bad teachers should not be allowed to stay in the classroom and students should come first.

EducationCrossing CEO A. Harrison Barnes says that cuts in K-12 education are being planned across most states. ''If you love teaching, then you should probably be ready to move. Because there are lots of teacher jobs in other places. Every town needs a few teachers.'' EducationCrossing is a job aggregator site and has been able to find 10,000 teaching jobs in the last seven days.

Contact:
Roger Croft
Editorial Coordinator
EducationCrossing
626-243-1814
rogerc@EducationCrossing.com

About EducationCrossing:
EducationCrossing is part of the Employment Research Institute, one of the most powerful and comprehensive job search institutions dedicated to helping professionals find jobs that will enhance their careers. Employment Research Institute consists of 90+ industry-specific job boards which consolidate every job opening it can find in one convenient location. The website also offers a three-day free trial to new members.