Schools Feel Economic Pinch

csmonitor.com — School districts across the United States are tightening their belts in anticipation of a meager fiscal diet that could carry into 2011. As state and local revenue declines, officials are looking for the trims least likely to harm the quality of education. Although some districts have rainy-day funds to tap, concern is growing that students, particularly those who are struggling to learn or who are homeless, are going to feel the pinch. Just over a third of superintendents in a recent national survey said they've already increased the size of classes because of the downturn. Thirty percent of superintendents are considering layoffs. Of the two-thirds who said their districts are inadequately funded, 83 percent think it's detrimental to their ability to close achievement gaps for minority groups.

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