School Cuts Across PA

Does Pennsylvania Put Education Last? CLOSED 8% of PA districts plan to close school buildings in 2013-14.* 7% of districts closed school buildings in 2012-13. 10% of districts closed school buildings in 2011-12. 75% of PA school districts will make cuts to staff and educational programs in the 2013-14 school year. XXX 58% of districts will exhaust their reserve funds within 5 years if current rates continue. 47% of districts expect to be in worse financial condition in 2013-14. Where are districts cutting? Reduce instructional programs 75% Increase class size 47% Cut electives 30% INIK Delay textbooks 23% Cut tutoring 22% Eliminate field trips 31% Cut sports & activities 20% Close 8% buildings Percent of Survey Respondents" Standing Up for the Right to Education In rural Schuylkill County, Blue Mountain High School students walked out of class in April, protesting planned teacher layoffs and program cuts. Reading parents marched to deliver a petition to their school district. Families in the Erie suburbs protested the closing of two elementary schools at a June school board meeting. Philly students have walked out by the thousands in re- sponse to school closings. Students and staff have protested and even staged a hunger strike. At Schuylkill Haven School District, students, teachers and parents condemned staff cuts when the school board passed its 2013-14 budget with a $413,000 deficit. 1,000 students and commu- nity members held a singing protest in Upper Darby. Put People First! PA PPF-PA.tumblr.com #educationPA *Statistics in this infographic come from a survey of 187 Commonwealth school dis- tricts conducted by the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. The survey results were released in a June 2013 report by PASBO and PASA. D Type of Cuts