On the way to breakfast this morning, my wife pointed out Socorro ISD is facing a cut of 300 staff. Wow. The headline reads:

Socorro ISD plans up to 300 layoffs, increased class sizes to deal with budget shortfall
“As of 2025-2026, there will be no fine arts in the elementary schools. There will be no music, no art in any of the elementary schools,” one teacher said they were told, adding that Socorro’s two fine arts academies were exempted. “And then, in addition to that, they’ll be eliminating 300 jobs.”

The teacher said the reaction to the news was “absolute shock, absolute betrayal, absolute fear.”
(Source: by Claudia Lorena Silva and Robert Moore, El Paso Matters. Available on 2/14/2025)

It made me wonder, “How many other school districts are laying people off?” Against the backdrop of Dept of Education layoffs, etc., it makes me wonder if the goal is to have every parent homeschool their own kids. There are days when that’s MY response. Want to mess up public schools? Then teach your own darn kids!

That’s when I remember that I wrote about this a bit ago in The Budgetary Cliff of 2025. It’s now 2025…

Schools are about a year out from a budgetary cliff. The combination of declining student enrollment and the expiration of federal relief funds will make the spring 2025 budget season particularly painful in many districts across the country.

…districts will need to lay off 384,000 full-time staff, or an equivalent number of part-time staff. Since schools tend to lay off part-timers first, this figure may be undercounting the total jobs at risk. via The 74

Will we ever know how many school staff lost their jobs in 2025?

Memories of a Poor Education…Someone Else’s

Getting angry and sending kids home from public schools because of legislators and politicians doing their best to kill public education, well, that wouldn’t be right. It would be a dis-service to the many children who wouldn’t get a quality education for a variety of reasons. It reminds me of my childhood in the Republic of Panama, where, while visiting my grandmother in the small town of Santiago de Veraguas, I went to school with the seventeen year old maid. I must have been 8 or 9 years old at the time. Even then, I could see the disparity between rich and poor…between poor and something better. Panama’s public schools were poor.

It was a big difference from my St. Mary’s Catholic School experience in Panama. The main commonalities? Uniforms. Where their’s were threadbare, mine were new. Where their school books and workbooks were simple, my education was multi-faceted and filled with rich learning experiences. I do not know how those schools fare now, but I hope they are doing better. (Note to Self: Investigate Panama’s schools).

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AI Generated list…

The Layoffs

Several school districts across the United States have recently announced layoffs and budget cuts for the 2025-2026 academic year, primarily due to declining enrollments and budget deficits.

Texas

• North East Independent School District (NEISD): The NEISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to close Wilshire Elementary School, Clear Spring Elementary School, and Driscoll Middle School starting the 2025-2026 school year. This decision aims to address a $62.5 million budget deficit caused by declining student enrollment and insufficient state funding. The closures are expected to save the district up to $5 million annually. 

• Northwest Independent School District (NISD): Facing a nearly $16 million budget deficit, NISD plans to cut 101 teaching positions for the upcoming school year. The reduction includes approximately 26 elementary school jobs, 60 middle and high school jobs, and 15 extracurricular positions. 

• Leander Independent School District: The district announced the elimination of over 200 positions to address a projected deficit exceeding $34 million. Additionally, the International Baccalaureate program will be discontinued. 

• Midland Independent School District (MISD): MISD is confronting a $41.1 million budget deficit for the 2025-2026 school year due to the expiration of specific grants and stagnant state funding. The district plans to eliminate unspecified job positions, offering affected employees opportunities to apply for other open roles. 

California

• Santa Ana Unified School District: The school board voted to lay off approximately 280 teachers, counselors, and other staff members at the end of the school year to address a $187 million budget deficit amid declining student enrollment. 

• San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD): SFUSD is working to close a $113 million deficit for the next year, with staff layoffs considered likely. The district is evaluating all spending to submit a balanced budget by June. 

Connecticut

• Bridgeport School District: The Board of Education approved over $1 million in program cuts to address a $32 million budget deficit. Eliminated programs include online learning and staff training services from private companies. 

• Darien Public Schools: The Board of Education approved a $125.7 million budget for the upcoming school year, reflecting a 4.92% increase. Despite exceeding the Superintendent’s proposed budget, the board made adjustments to address public concerns, including saving several elementary aides and maintaining the gifted and talented program. 

Oregon

• Ashland School District: The school board initiated potential layoffs for the 2025-2026 school year due to ongoing budget shortfalls. A letter approved by the board starts a 30-day period for discussions with the Ashland Education Association regarding a potential reduction in force. 

These measures reflect a broader trend of financial challenges faced by school districts nationwide, often resulting in staff reductions, program eliminations, and school closures.

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