It must be noted that I started documenting these education shutdowns at the beginning of 2014, in that year I posted the reports biannually (every six months). In 2015 education cutbacks ramped up and I posted quarterly (every three months). For the past six months of 2016 there have been so many education cutbacks that I’ve posted a report every month!
Disappearing Students Syndrome (DSS): A phrase created by me to describe a phenomenon taking place across the United States, affecting both privately and publicly funded schools, from Kindergarten all the way through University levels.
Incomplete list of publicly announced education related layoffs & school shutdowns, June 2016:
The Institute of College Access and Success reports that one out of ten community colleges stopped offering federal student loans.
Alabama: In Northport, after 22 years educational supply store Learning Experience shutting down, the owners want “more time for ourselves…and our grandchildren.”
Alaska: The University of Alaska continues with cutbacks, nine programs halted and 209 jobs eliminated due to $19-million USD in state funding cuts for the 2016-17 school year!
California: Bienvenidos Children Center eliminated seven jobs.
Connecticut: School bus contractor First Student issued a WARN for their Brooklyn operations, 19 jobs gone.
Idaho: In Bannock County, corrupt School District 25 jacked up fees for lunches, despite getting an increase in their budget! In response, a federal lawsuit has been filed on the grounds that charging additional out-of-pocket school fees violates the state constitution. I reported last November that an Ada County court ruled school fees were unconstitutional, and some school administrators actually admitted it was! The Idaho Public Charter School Commission warning Syringa Mountain School of financial peril because state funding can’t come close to covering the charter school’s outrageous operating costs: “SMS’s financial position is extremely perilous. While fundraising efforts have met current cash flow needs, SMS has struggled with lack of funds periodically throughout its years in operation.” The economy is so bad that there is an official teacher ‘famine’ in eastern Idaho schools. According to numbers presented by local school districts, between 2009 and 2014 at least 9-thousand 569 teachers fled eastern Idaho schools! Statewide only 11 of Idaho’s 70 school districts were able to fill vacant positions, at the same time there is and exodus of education students as well. Between 2009 and 2013 there was a 35% drop in college students entering a teacher training program (what happened to Idaho’s free tuition if somebody became a teacher in Idaho?). Idaho Education News revealed that the state Department of Education does not keep track of such data, it’s coming from local districts and the universities themselves, implying that exalted state ‘lawmakers’ are ignoring the situation. Local school district administrators admit low pay for teachers is the main reason for the exodus, but say ObamaCare has jacked up the cost of employee benefits so high that they can’t afford to pay teachers mo-money: “I would not say it’s a teacher shortage we are experiencing, it’s a teacher famine!”-Randy Lords, Madison School District
Illinois: Elgin Community College eliminating at least 20 jobs for next school year due to crashing taxpayer funding. God powerless to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ Saint Florian School and Notre Dame High School for Girls schools by July. It’s blamed on declining enrollment. Lake Land College eliminating jobs due to “significant reduction” in state taxpayer funding. Aramark Educational Services laid off 297 people after the University of Chicago canceled the food service contract! In Orland Park, Positive Connections lost a school bus contract, 77 jobs lost. Aurora Public Library eliminating a total of 31 jobs due to being in the hole by as much as $2-million USD. The library system will also reduce operating hours and shutdown their Express Center: “… if you don’t use it, you lose it! The numbers don’t lie.”-Tina Bohman, 1st Ward Alderman
Indiana: Muncie Community Schools laid off five teachers and eliminated 37 vacant jobs. Almost 1-hundred students left the district last year, exacerbating crashing taxpayer funding.
Iowa: British empire United Kingdom owned textbook and test publisher Pearson conducted a third round of layoffs, bring the total number of people laid off in Iowa City to 166! Local news media say the Red Coat company blames the job cuts on fewer and fewer ‘Americans’ going to college. Yes, most of your ‘American’ textbooks are actually made by the British empire! Is it part of the dumbing down of the United States conspiracy?
Kansas: After surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions Varney’s Book Store shutting down all locations after an 80% drop in sales, due to losing contracts with K-State Student Union bookstore and K-State athletics. At Kansas University the Jayhawk Bookstore shutdown: “The landscape of retail in general has been changing, in particular college text books. It’s not just traditional text books. There are obviously e-books and rental books. There’s also more a drive towards using course packets….”-Jeff Levin, co-owner
Kentucky: God powerless to stop the federal government from shutting down ‘his’ Saint Catherine College. The ‘christian’ school was caught withholding taxpayer funded financial aid for students! Accusations imply the ‘christian’ school was using the taxpayer funding for students to pay-down school debt.
Maryland: After 55 years the Conococheague Elementary School shutdown due to age, low student enrollment and upcoming ‘re-districting’ in August. Local news media reporting that Baltimore City Schools layoffs have hit 171! New Windsor junior high and three other Carrol County schools shutting down now, due to crashing enrollments and taxpayer funding. Despite surviving The Great Depression and numerous recessions, god powerless to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ Visitation Academy sexist girls only school. Enrollment dropped to just 89 students, below the Catholic churches new 100 minimum enrollment standard for keeping their schools open. However, local news reports implied the church will put the property is for sale, because it’s worth $3.7-million USD.
Massachusetts: UMass Boston warning 4-hundred non-tenured professors that they could lose their jobs by the end of August: “Morale is really low. People are very upset and worried financially.”-Marlene Kim, UMass Boston Faculty Staff Union
The Granby School Committee will layoff at least 12 teachers, along with a number of other employees: “State Aid to Granby is projected to decrease for the coming fiscal year by $60,667. In three of the last nine years, Granby has received more State Aid than it will in FY 2017. State Aid pays for about 32.7% of Granby’s operating budgets. State Aid for Schools, including School Choice funds, is projected to decrease by $107,088. At $5,290,801, State Aid for Schools represents over 84% of Granby’s total State Aid.”
Michigan: Michigan Association of Public School Academies shutting down five charter schools affecting about 1-thousand 7-hundred students. State administrators blame it on lack of academic performance and declining enrollment. Utica Community Schools eliminating 35 teaching jobs due to what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome; a massive drop of 440 students in one school year, and 1-thousand 132 in the previous four years! Utica Community Schools is the second largest school district in the Failed State. Port Huron School Board eliminating 12 teaching positions. It’s blamed on a loss of student body, but could it also be because their parking lot improvement project is costing them way more than they thought it would? Benton Harbor Area Schools eliminating 43 jobs in an effort to save $1.4-million USD. However, local news sources say the district is also planning on creating 12 new positions.
Minnesota: In Saint Paul, the Community School of Excellence eliminating 19 jobs and changing academic programs. Local news media say the charter school is in danger of shutdown due to lack of “performance”.
New Hampshire: Green Mountain Children’s Center shutting down its Lebanon campus by the end of September, at least 17 jobs lost. It’s blamed on years of no money: “For years, GMCC chose to operate this campus at a loss, but the organization can no longer support a campus that continues to run such a deficit.”-Caroline Christie, executive director
New Jersey: God powerless to stop ‘his’ Saint Virgil Academy elementary school from shutting down. Local news media says the Catholic church has decided that any school whose enrollment drops below 1-hundred students will be shutdown.
“Luna luna luna luna
Illuminate”-Underworld
New Mexico: Luna Community College quietly began laying off staff last month, at least nine people unemployed due to the college being short $400-thousand USD.
New York: Montauk Student Transport issued a layoff WARN for their Bronx-NYC and Weschester ops, 268 jobs lost by September! School bus contractor First Student issued a shutdown WARN for their Center Moriches operations, 4-hundred jobs gone! God powerless to stop ‘his’ Webster Christian School from shutting down due to The Rapture, I mean lack of students: “The road to transition had been paved with honest assessment, strategic planning, and fresh initiatives….. Notwithstanding all these….Webster Christian School will be closing at the end of this current school year….we simply do not have the number of students….to provide a standard of excellence in Christian education.”-school statement
Dowling College suddenly shutdown all its campuses due to what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome, 443 jobs instantly gone! Local news media reported that students are literally screwed over as they scramble to find other colleges to accept their transfers: “This painful decision is a reflection of the unprecedented financial challenges facing countless private educational institutions across the nation and the difficult choices that many must now face.”-Albert Inserra, college president
North Carolina: Craven County Schools eliminating more than 20 jobs due to being short $3.5-million USD for the 2016-17 school year. In Fayetteville, Edward McKay Used Books and More shutdown: “We will be selling our property in Fayetteville and closing our store there. We know this is going to be a big disappointment to you, but the economy in Fayetteville is just too challenging.”-owners
Ohio: Terra State Community College laid off at least six people due to half a million dollars in budget cuts.
Oklahoma: Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College eliminating three programs, raising tuition by 9% and eliminating 27 jobs, blaming reduced taxpayer funding.
Oregon: Illinois based Durham School Services eliminating 67 jobs in Roseburg.
Pennsylvania: Chestnut Hill College reduced pay, canceled raises and reduced work hours for employees in an attempt to deal with a $2-million USD shortfall. If it doesn’t work then mass layoffs are next. Pittsburgh base for-profit Brown Mackie College shutting down all U.S. 22 campuses by 2018! Layoffs begin now, enrollments halted. It’s directly connected to Brown Mackie owner Education Management’s problems with meeting tougher U.S. Department of Education rules. Bethlehem based National Association of Colleges and Employers revealed that only 54% of recent college grads found full time jobs six months after graduating!
South Carolina: Holly Springs Elementary and A.R. Lewis Elementary shutting down as Pickens County School District consolidates operations due to a lack of “millions of dollars”.
Tennessee: Shelby County Schools ordered the 60 years old Carver High School shuttered. It’s been ‘temporarily’ closed since 2013. School administrators say the combination of crashing enrollment, funding and student achievement requires them to permanently shutdown schools.
Texas: University of Texas asking employees to voluntarily quit (buyouts) and eliminated 50 vacant positions. 40 academic programs threatened.
Vermont: Vermont Student Assistance Corporation exiting the federal student loan program, eliminating a total of 75 jobs in the process. Administrators say they realized the federal student loan program was not benefitting residents of Vermont.
Virginia: Radford University shutdown its 20 years old non-profit Small Business Development Center, basically the university was losing money on the non-profit operation.
Dumbing Down the United States, May 2016: “WE WANTED TO CONTINUE…REALISTICALLY WE CAN’T”