District-level
By Ron SchachteR
Raconian cutS have become the order of business for many school districts since the economic recession hit in 2008. But for the coming school year, “draconian” has taken on an even harsher meaning, as states from california and texas to illinois and new york wrestle with
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Exploding state budget deficits are forcing administrators to cut their own jobs.
deficits in the tens of billions of dollars and make multibillion-dollar reductions in funding for education. This time around, the name of the much-maligned ancient Greek legislator Draco easily could be replaced with any number of Republican and Democratic governors or state legislators trying to balance their budgets by exacting huge cuts in public services. “States are cutting the heck out of education,” warns Dan Domenech, executive director of the american association of School administrators. “you add those cuts to the end of stimulus spending this year, and districts are coming to a cliff.” What district leaders are facing as they stare over that cliff are budget cuts on a scale they have never seen before—and an almost unprecedented reduction in the number of central office and school-based administrators. Domenech points to an
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - June 2011