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, May 2017:
Alaska: Anchorage School District eliminating 225 jobs due to state budget problems caused by the oil industry BS.
Alabama: God’s Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School warning of shutdown due to funding problems caused by The Rapture, I mean declining enrollments.
California: God powerless to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ 66 years old Saint John’s Episcopal School, due to The Rapture, I mean Disappearing Students Syndrome.
Delaware: Colonial School District eliminating 134 jobs due to state taxpayer funding cuts!
Florida: University of Miami Hospital is shifting focus to outpatient care and will eliminate jobs as a result. In Tallahassee, after only nine years Imagine School at Evening Rose shutdown due to many factors, including what I call DSS. In Hillsborough County a part-time high school teacher charged with leaving his own two children home alone for more than 24 hours. The situation was discovered by police who responded to a ‘panic alarm’ tripped by the nine years old. The part time high school teacher said he was attending a meeting relating to his second job.
Illinois: Northeastern Illinois University laid off 180 people due to state budget impasse!
Kentucky: Jefferson County Public Schools eliminating 142 jobs! Administrators revealed that most of the jobs were ‘make work’ jobs created by taxpayer funded grants, in other words the number of students don’t justify all the employees and since the grants are ending so are the jobs.
Louisiana: Livingston Parish warning that it might not be able to rebuild three schools damaged during the August 2016 natural disaster. The problem is that the school district was already struggling with crashing enrollments, the August flooding might be the straw that breaks their back. In New Orleans, after 53 years the Maple Street Book Shop shutdown, for the second time saying “We’re not sure what we’ll do next, but we’ll always keep fighting the stupids. We hope that you will too.”
Maryland: Baltimore City Public Schools proposing to eliminate 3-hundred jobs, instead of their original 1-thousand proposed layoffs! Despite additional taxpayer funding the school district is still short $30-million USD.
Massachusetts: The Brockton School Department notified 344 people of layoffs due to the way politicians changed the taxpayer funding formula for schools: “This is very troubling, the worst I’ve ever seen it!”-Aldo Petronio, Brockton budget chief
Missouri: Saint Louis University School of Medicine suddenly eliminated 21 jobs by shutting down its Center for World Health and Medicine, due to a budget deficit of $16-million USD. Lincoln University eliminating 48 jobs and reducing pay for everybody else, due to a $3.8-million USD deficit. University of Columbia-Missouri eliminating 4-hundred jobs due to continuing enrollment crash!
Nebraska: God powerless to stop ‘his’ Creighton University from laying off 60 people. Administrators blamed competition with other universities for The Rapture of students. Anybody who’s been following my Dumbing Down reports knows that’s a bogus reason because most U.S. universities are dealing with crashing enrollments.
New Jersey: Ten school districts warning of mass layoffs for the 2017-18 school year, for lack of taxpayer funding. Paterson School District notified 85 people of layoffs. Camden School District eliminating 121 jobs due to economic and job performance problems! Lakewood High School laid off 140 people, blaming taxpayer funding problems! Penns Grove eliminating 53 jobs by outsourcing them to a cheapo contractor.
New Mexico: For-profit Santa Fe University of Art and Design shutting down in Spring 2018, due to crashing enrollments and a failed attempt to sell the university to a Singapore company.
New York: God powerless to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ 133 years old Immaculate Conception School saying “Enrollment is at a historic low and the increased financial strain on both the school and parish is insurmountable.” Mill Neck Manor Early Childhood Center issued a shutdown WARN for its school for the deaf, 34 jobs gone in August.
North Carolina: Warren Wilson College eliminating 30 jobs and reducing work hours for some remaining positions. It was revealed that last year employees had their pay reduced. It’s blamed on crashing enrollment and skyrocketing operating costs.
Ohio: Wright State University eliminating 70 jobs and closing 1-hundred vacant positions in an effort to reduce costs.
Pennsylvania: God powerless to stop the consolidation of ‘his’ North Hills Catholic schools, which will result in at least 36 teachers becoming unemployed.
Puerto Rico: 184 taxpayer funded schools shutting down due to the ongoing insolvency, more than 3-thousand jobs lost and 27-thousand students affected!
Rhode Island: Warwick Public Schools laying off 31 teachers in June as the school district does not foresee getting the necessary local taxpayer funding.
Texas: In El Paso, god powerless to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ 60 years old Our Lady of Assumption school: “Those associated with the school have been aware of the decline in enrollment the school has experienced in recent years, going from 134 in the 2012-13 school year to the present 83. There simply are not as many children in that part of the city as there once was.”-Bishop Mark J. Seitz
Virginia: In Lynchburg, god powerless to stop the sudden shutdown of ‘his’ almost 60 years old Quaker Memorial Preschool due to The Rapture, I mean DSS.
Wyoming: University of Wyoming suddenly eliminated 37 jobs as part of a plan that includes freezing 3-hundred vacant positions and offering employees buyouts (bribes to voluntarily quit).
Dumbing Down April 2017: “…..we were done!”
First Transit issued shutdown WARNs for its Oceanside and Pomona ops, more than 9-hundred jobs affected! In Oxnard, Arcturus Manufacturing shutting down, 32 jobs gone by September. Boeing issued yet more layoff WARNs, this time 66 jobs lost in June. Nelco Products issued a layoff WARN for its Fullerton operations, 62 jobs lost in June. The new owners of packaging company New-Indy TriPAQ issued layoff and shutdown WARNs, 68 jobs lost in June. What construction industry recovery? Flooring maker/seller Galleher shutting down its La Mirada ops, 32 jobs lost in June. Clothing maker/seller St. John Knits eliminating 130 factory jobs in Irvine, by the end of June!
Arkansas: Bentonville based Walmart laid off hundreds more corporate employees, including 3-hundred Information System Division employees! It’s part of Walmart’s plan to improve its lagging e-commerce sales.
