With sequester cuts now taking place the “scare tactics” still are running rampant. Teabonics this week reported that $31.1 million would be cut from teachers due to federal cuts required by sequester. However the federal government does not employ teachers, individual school districts do.
A common saying is, “do the math”. If we do the math on this claim we see an assumption that education cuts must trickle down from the federal government to the state governments first. Once at the state level the governors and legislators must then pass the impact to the individual jurisdictions that control the schools. In Michigan this would be the 550 ISDs. Each of the ISDs would also have to decide to make their cuts bu adjusting teacher pay or laying off teachers.
So if the cuts trickle down using this logic that the $31.1 million dollars must be saved by laying off teachers let’s see how many teachers we are talking about. Let us assume the average teacher’s salary plus benefits is $75,000. To reach the goal of $31.1 million we would need to lay off 414 teachers.
That is right, 414 teachers across the entire country would be laid off.
If Michigan were to step up to the plate by offering to bear the entire national burden no district would have to cut more than one teacher and 25% would make no cuts. However if the funding cut were proportional Michigan’s share of the cuts would equate to only 10 teachers.
See the attached list of sequester impacts.
Detroit politics in books
- Now Is the Time! Detroit black politics and grassroots activism.
- Dancing in the Street: Motown and the cultural politics of Detroit.
- Reimagining Detroit: Opportunities for redefining an American city.
Comments