Concerns over class sizes, layoffs loom over back-to-school
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As Indiana schools prepare to welcome students in the coming weeks, teachers are bracing for larger class sizes thanks to uncertainty with education funding.
The big picture: The Trump administration is withholding more than $5 billion in funding for K-12 programs pending a reevaluation "given the change in administration," according to the Department of Education.
- That comes on top of cuts to state property taxes that fund local governments, including school districts.
Driving the news: Warren Township Schools start Thursday, with many following suit next week.
What they're saying: "We've heard quite a bit of talk about potential reductions in force," Jennifer Smith-Margraf, president of the Indiana State Teachers Association, told Axios.
- Smith-Margraf said she's not aware of any layoffs, but knows some districts are choosing not to fill open positions as they wait to see what final openings and budget numbers look like.
- "It's been a good 15 years since we've really heard talk at this level about positions," she said. "Folks are really wondering about class size and caseloads and what that means for services for students."
Why it matters: Research shows that even small reductions in class size can lead to gains in student achievement.
- Yes, and: Indiana just got back disappointing standardized test scores showing that students made little progress in English and language arts.
Between the lines: Smith-Margraf says that teachers will also feel the squeeze of large classes in other ways.
- Providing extra classroom supplies is one of the first things that cash-strapped schools will cut, meaning teachers are often doing it themselves.
- "As families have to prioritize other things over school supplies … food, health care, making sure they have a roof over their head … educators have been digging deeper and deeper into their pockets to make up that gap," she said.
Threat level: A smaller workforce could also mean larger ratios of students to school counselors, social workers and other positions.
Flashback: Class size used to be something that teachers could negotiate in collective bargaining agreements, but that law changed in 2011.
- ISTA has unsuccessfully fought to win that right back in recent years.
What we're watching: More than 20 governors have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for withholding the educational funding. The governors said the funding freeze has "caused chaos" in their states' educational systems.
- Indiana is not one of the states involved in the suit.