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 layoffs & school shutdowns from July to December 2014:
Alabama: After 15 years Sci-Quest Hands on Science Center is now chapter 11 bankrupt busted. Administrators blame location for their $1-million in debts, but claim their new location is “doing really well”.
Alaska: Disappearing Student Syndrome (DSS) forcing University of Alaska to shutdown the Bill Ray Center and Auke Bay bookstore, as well as kill at least 40 jobs. University officials say they’ve lost $1.4-million USD in funding this school year and are expecting to lose $2-million next school year, despite jacking up the cost to go to school. But wait, there’s more! Maybe it was the only way they could pay out the $320-thousand bonus to the university president!
Arizona: In Glendale, the Thunderbird School of Global Management warned of layoffs as they are forced to merge with Arizona State University, due to the bad economy. At one time the school had 300 employees, but is down to 184. Obama Care forced University of Arizona Health Network to sell itself to Phoenix based Banner Health. Now there are reports this is a portent for things to come in the U.S. medical school sector. The Association of American Medical Colleges warns that Obama Care’s reduced insurance reimbursements is the final straw that will force medical schools to sell themselves to private medical corporations, or greatly reduce their services to the public, either way it means massive healthcare job cuts.
California: Irvine based for profit Corinthian Colleges (CCi). They’ve announced they will begin shutting down, selling off or reducing classes at 97 campuses across the U.S.! It’s part of a deal with the U.S. Department of Education. The college is under investigation by state and federal officials, for ripping off students and violating federal education laws. Everest College, Heald College and Wyotech campuses are part of the shutdown. Bellflower Unified School District laid off all ten bus drivers. The reasons are convoluted, ranging from lack of funding to driver misbehavior. The Calaveras Unified School District announced they must kill an estimated 50 jobs. They blame years of Disappearing Student Syndrome (DSS) for creating a $2-million shortfall! In Sacramento, Anthem College shutdown, it’s due to Anthem Educations’ bankruptcy which is linked to federal law violations. In Monterey, McGraw Hill Education warned they are laying off 47 employees in December. In Upland, school bus contractor First Student issued a WARN saying they will cease operations by the end of December, 156 jobs lost! In San Diego, Ashford University/Bridgepoint Education issued a WARN saying 160 people will become jobless in January 2015! However, local ABC10News said an inside source reported that 167 people were already let go!
Florida: For profit Full Sail University laid off 50 employees. In Cape Coral, after 50 years Lisa Lynn Dance World shutdown, the owner blames the suck-ass economy for disappearing students: “Because of the economy, the enrollment dropped and the money wasn’t there.”-Rita Rose Meyer
Georgia: In Atlanta, after 50 years snooty upscale private for profit Bauder College announced it is shutting down in 2015! It’s blamed on massive disappearing students. In 2009 the college had 12-hundred students, it’s now less than 420! College officials said by the start of the 2015-16 school year they’ll be down to 75! You see, the U.S. economy is so bad even wealthy people can’t afford to pay for college! Troubled Paine College warning of layoffs. The school is facing accreditation violation charges and DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). The college is short at least $2.4-million, and they blame state and federal governments: “These tough economic times are posing unprecedented challenges for colleges and universities like Paine College that have seen changes in federal aid, which include Parent Plus loans, Pell Grants and some state funding.”-George C. Bradley, president
Illinois: Oakton Community College warned it will layoff 80 teachers before the 2015-16 school year. Apparently the teachers are retired and a potential new state law says retired teachers can no longer be hired by state funded schools. God refused to stop Benedictine University from ending its undergraduate program and killing as many as 100 jobs! In Rockford, the College of Medicine shutdown their psychiatric clinic at the end of September, 2-thousand patients affected! Clinic officials blame never ending funding cuts, thank you Obama Care! In Murphysboro, after 37 years God refuses to stop the shutdown of Murphysboro Christian Academy. Officials with the privately funded school say Christian students are disappearing (raptured?). One year after shutting down 50 schools, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has now put them up for auction! The district is still shutting down schools due to massive DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). It turns out that it still costs taxpayers millions of dollars to maintain school buildings that are not in use. CPS also killed off 476 contracted janitor jobs! The Obama regime mayor, Rahm Emanuel, refused to discuss the issue with local news media and referred them to the CPS, who were conveniently not available to explain the sudden job killing spree. God must hate the Chicago area; seven Christian schools being shuttered and six others being consolidated! At least 200 jobs lost! The schools being shutdown are Saint Agatha Catholic Academy, Saint Peter in Skokie, Saint Hyacinth Basilica, Saint Ladislaus, Saint Turibius, Saint Rene Goupil, and Saint Lawrence O’Toole in Matteson. It’s blamed on massive DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome), since 1965 Christian student enrollment in Cook and Lake counties has crashed by 284-thousand!
Louisiana: God must really hate The Pelican State, three Christian schools shutting down in 2015: Holy Ghost in New Orleans, Our Lady of Grace in Reserve and Saint Agnes in Jefferson! Church administrators blame raptured, I mean what I call DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). Enrollment at each school is now under 200. In Marrero, the Christian God refused to stop the Reverend Mansfield Thompson Educational Foundation from shutting down their Faith Christian Academy. But this shutdown is about evil Christian leaders caught stealing money. At the end of 2013 a state investigation revealed Reverend Mansfield Thompson Educational Foundation was probably absconding with the money paid by struggling Christian parents: “At this point, I just want my money back. I paid $400 for registration and I’m getting the run around with that. I just want my money back!”-Ramira Williams
Maine: The University of Southern Maine continues to kill off jobs, this time 61 people now unemployed and five programs canceled. They continue to blame a 30% crash in student enrollment! In Bangor, God refuses to stop the Christian Life Academy Daycare from shutting down. The church pastor blames crashing donations: “We have cut everywhere we can cut, we are heartbroken that the daycare has to close too.”-Russ Hewett
Massachusetts: The Boston School Department suddenly killed 126 jobs! The school district is trying to save $9.5-million! For years critics accused the Boston Strong school system of being outta shape and overweight with redundant administrative jobs. Brockton School Committee laid off 47 crossing guard positions. This comes after a local newspaper investigated reports that janitors were being paid as much as $50 per hour in overtime to double as crossing guards! And despite all that overtime pay, an 11th child was hit by a vehicle while crossing a street to go to school! Gateway Schools threatening reduce parent-teacher days or seven teachers will get laid off! School administrators are struggling with how to deal with funding cuts of about $200-million! Westfield State University shutdown its Downtown Art Gallery. Apparently the university was responsible for promoting local arts but now is unable to, the city of Westfield is supposedly taking on the responsibility.
Michigan: Rochester Community Schools warned of layoffs after an unexpected crash in student enrollment. Administrators say the district lost 154 students, more than was expected! They blame it on the area’s major employer Chrysler. Administrators at Spring Arbor University are blaming what I call DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome) on their planned elimination of jobs. As a private Christian college they are not required to reveal just how many Christians will become jobless. The Flint School District laid off 36 non-teaching employees, but then turned around and hired on 10 people to salaried positions, all making more than $67-thousand per year! Thomas M. Cooley Law School warned of major employee and program cuts, due to disappearing students. They reported a 40% drop in enrollment from 2010 to 2013! The Grand Rapids Public Schools announced they must kill 90 jobs due to the fact that 400 students disappeared! In East Lansing the largest teachers union in the state, Michigan Education Association, revealed that half of its members actually made less money in 2013. Incompetent union officials admit they don’t know why. Yet while half of their members made less money, somehow the amount of assets held by the Michigan Education Association actually went up! In Hudsonville, God refuses to stop the shutdown of Freedom Christian Schools (aka Freedom Baptist Schools). The shutdown was a surprise as school officials even extended the contracts of teachers before the announcement. The school’s website has been removed. School officials blame raptured students saying this school year’s enrollment is worse than last year’s. At one point the privately funded school had 375 students, but since 2010 they’ve lost at least 65 students (privately funded schools are more affected by student loss than are taxpayer funded schools). In Dearborn, the U.S. Department of Education has approved the sale of Everett Institute. It’s part of the massive collapse of the Corinthian Colleges. An undisclosed number of bus drivers lost their jobs when Lakeview School District drastically reduced bus service. The Threshold Academy lost its charter, affecting more than 150 students. The elementary school principal blamed economic instability for what I call DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). A young student confronted the principal saying “Why do they want to break people’s hearts?” The school’s motto was “Small School – Big Heart”. Detroit Public Schools are so desperate they’re now in the business of selling used cars! Specifically, the school system auctioned off 18 surplus police cars. I couldn’t find any reports on how the school district got a hold of the former cop cars. The Michigan League for Public Policy reports that overall wages have crashed 10% since 1979. When you break it down by sex and education, low wage earning men saw a whopping 31.2% decline in pay, while adults with no high school diploma saw a 46.3% crash in earnings!
Minnesota: Rochester Public Schools announced that 17 tech employees will become jobless by January 2015. But here’s an odd thing, the school district also said there will be 19 new job openings in the same department! The laid off employees are basically being forced to re-apply for employment, and if they get re-hired it’ll probably be for less pay. That’s the wisdom of our education system. Northland Community and Technical College eliminated eight jobs and cut two programs, blaming a $1-million shortfall on everything including DSS.
Mississippi: After 130 years (surviving the Great Depression & numerous recessions) God has decided to rapture all the good Christian students (or as I call it, Disappearing Student Syndrome, DSS) and shutdown the Christian Chamberlain-Hunt Academy! The state Department of Education laid off 30 employees without notice, including the boss of the Office of School Improvement. Mississippi DoE spokewoman Patrice Guilfoyle said “This is the first phase, there could potentially be additional phases.”
Missouri: Florida based for profit Anthem Education warned of massive layoffs and the shutdown of its Missouri medical technician campuses if they cannot find new debt financing, or a new owner with lot-o-money! College officials blamed it on a surprise “rapidly deteriorating financial condition”. There was no explanation.
Nevada: In Reno, Morrison University warned it will shutdown after the 2014-15 school year! It’s due to the allegedly criminal actions of the owner, Anthem Education. To make things worse for the students, they were told the university’s transfer credits are no longer recognized! University Medical Center began a second round of Obama Care healthcare layoffs, this time 200 healthcare workers put out on the streets!
New Hampshire: Franklin Pierce University eliminated 12 positions. Earlier this year the university eliminated academic programs. Grade school education assessor Measured Progress actually regressing when it comes to jobs; 40 people laid off. Company administrators blame the bad economy.
New Jersey: After 86 years Garden State based Becker’s School Supplies shutting down six of its seven stores in Pennsylvania and Delaware! Apparently the school supplies company is shifting to internet sales only. Troubled for profit higher education company Anthem Institute shutting down all four locations in the Garden State, 163 jobs lost! Brookdale Community College administrators say crashing enrollment is causing them to be short $8.5-million for the upcoming 2015-16 school year and warned of 210 layoffs: “These are tough times and the organizational structure we have now is not sustainable; the board is aware of this harsh fact. Our current models are no longer effective in serving today’s students, and we must catch up with the advances that have been made in educational technology.”-Maureen Murphy, president
New Mexico: Santa Fe Community College revealed they’re short $5-million! The temporary president of the school blames prior administrations for grossly overestimating revenues and handing out raises when the revenues could not support pay increases. Now the school must cut back.
New York: For profit Utica School of Commerce stopping almost all classes at its Oneonta campus in Spring 2015! At least nine jobs lost due to DSS. Clinton Community College warned of layoffs due to DSS. In Brooklyn, The Guild for Exceptional Children issued a WARN saying they will shutdown their preschool in January 2015, at least 81 jobs lost. In Brewster, Minnesota based education testing company Questar Assessment shutdown and laid off 39 employees in November. The Buffalo School District killed 63 teaching jobs, some of the teachers had just made tenure. News reports said many of the teachers taught classes for homeless children. They’ve consolidated school #115 with school #97, and they’ve eliminated an entire 9th grade class. One school board member actually blamed the U.S. education system saying “It’s a system that’s beating us.” Another board member added “Beating our kids.” That Which Cannot be Named refuses to stop the selloff of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Yeshiva University Substance Abuse Treatment program at three Bronx locations, 189 jobs now in limbo! In Hawthorne, Quintiles Medical Education warned it is shutting down in December, at least 27 jobs lost.
North Carolina: Randolph County Schools laid off 30 employees. Troubled charter school Concrete Roses STEM Academy shutdown without notice. State education administrators blame what I call DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). The school was taxpayer funded for 300 students, but only 126 showed up!
Ohio: Hocking College laid off 36 employees and warned of mandatory furloughs for others, blaming DSS. In 2010 the college had 6,599 students, in 2013 there were 4,094 students and for the 2014-15 year they’re down to 3,474; almost a 50% drop in enrollment since 2010! New Albany School District beginning massive layoffs and jacking up ‘pay to play’ fees after 56% of local taxpayers rejected yet another levy, indicating that they could no longer afford to float failing public education since their own incomes are crashing. In Columbus, God refuses to stop Christian charter school FCI Academy from killing 17 jobs. The Christian school is in the hole at least $70-thousand, due to raptured(?) students. Several years ago the grade school had 600 students, this school year they’re down to 340. In Youngstown, the Mahoning-Youngstown Community Action Partnership (MYCAP) warned it will kill 10 jobs with its Head Start education program. They blame the federal government for cutting off their federal food service funding. MYCAP is also going away and Development Institute of Denver will take over the Head Start program temporarily. Strongsville Schools announced they will layoff at least 25 teachers over five years. Administrators blame DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). The district has lost 1,724 students since 2004! Oberlin College told three HVAC engineers to take a big cut in pay and become janitors or become unemployed! College administrators called it a “opportunity for voluntary layoff”. It’s blamed on the the college’s switch from coal heating to natural gas.
Pennsylvania: Mercyhurst University laid off 14 administrators and demoted six full time employees to part time. Other employees are taking pay cuts, it’s blamed on crashing enrollment. State education officials warned of massive layoffs at five Universities: Clarion, Edinboro, Cheyney, East Stroudsburg and Mansfield. According to state officials their university system has been experiencing Disappearing Student Syndrome (DSS), and get this, they expect to lose another 1-thousand students by the end of this school year! At least 44 university employees were laid off last year. The School District of Philadelphia shutdown the Walter Palmer Leadership Learning Partners Charter School. Also, the superintendent of The School District of Philadelphia is demanding new taxes be imposed on the already struggling population. William R. Hite Jr. says if new taxes, specifically a new cigarette tax, are not created by August then he will be forced to layoff 13-hundred employees! Keep in mind that is on top of the 342 school district jobs already killed off! The Philly school district is now $93-million in debt, no thanks in part to the massive increase in employee health and retirement cost increases caused by Obama Care! God refuses to stop Christian Geneva College from laying off at least 25 employees, due to what I call the rapture, I mean DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). And who said the internet is to blame? The Christian college is eliminating its internet ministries courses for the 2015-16 school year! School officials also revealed that the economy is so bad that “nearly 100%” of their Christian students qualify for some type of financial assistance. Woodland Hills School District warned it could shutdown three elementary schools and sell off an administrative building due to DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome), at least a 31% decline over the past ten years! California University is blaming DSS for eliminating 30 jobs. The university lost 3.2% of its student body at the beginning of the new school year. Cheyney University (originally created to target ‘black’ Americans) laid off at least six instructors and will eliminate programs. University administrators blame crashing revenue. Interestingly, the university lists several administrative positions as being available, but adds “Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to respond to your phone calls about vacancies or about the status of a recruitment and your application.”
Tennessee: Union University laid off five staff employees, blaming it on a drop of 270 students from 2013 to 2014! In Kingsport, after 27 years non-profit Rascals Teen Center shutdown: “We just got to where we couldn’t really continue. Things had to change. We tried to work through the change, tried to do some things, but we got to where we couldn’t continue on…..No matter how much we advertised on the radio, the newspaper and Facebook, it’s like we still couldn’t contact everybody….I don’t know what happened.”-Amy McAtee, executive director
Texas: God refused to stop Southern Methodist University (home of the George W. Bush Presidential Library) from cutting programs and killing jobs. The Christian university has spent tens of millions on new dorm buildings despite DSS. Wiley College laid off 16 employees and furloughed others due to DSS and crashing donations. In Dallas/Fort Worth, Anthem College shutting down its campus on Beltline Road, 30 jobs lost. Also, the Texas Education Agency threatened to shutdown the Prime Prep Academy. The school, founded by a former Dallas Cowboys star, is accused of failing to comply with state laws. Across the state, it’s been revealed that 14 charter schools will be shutdown next school year! State administrators claim the schools are not meeting financial or academic standards, however, some school administrators have presented documents challenging the state’s claims.
Vermont: Vermont Technical College warned of layoffs due partly to the loss of 160 students over the past three years. The State College system warned that budget cuts wanted by the governor will result in job losses. The governor wants to cut $1-million in funding. It’s been revealed that in May of 2014, Johnson State College laid off five employees and blamed it on DSS.
Virginia: Buchanan County Public School Board shutdown Russell Prater Elementary School. It’s blamed on $2.1-million in debt.
Washington DC: The Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art & Design laid off about 150 employees in August! Apparently the schools will eventually shutdown threatening another 300 jobs! It’s blamed on their merger with National Gallery of Art and the George Washington University.
Wisconsin: ‘Professional’ education service Lorman Education Services killed 42 jobs in October. Company officials blame it on DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). The privately funded education company has been laying off employees since 2009. Internet based Anthem College shutdown its Brookfield operation in September, 30 jobs lost. After shutting down without notice in June, the Wisconsin International School is now officially bankrupt busted. This means all those parents that paid their child’s tuition in full will not get a refund. Officials with the private school blame their sudden shutdown on an unexpected 30% drop in enrollment (more disappearing students), as well as a 30% drop in cash revenues and skyrocketing expenses due to things like utilities and healthcare cost increases (so much for Obama Care)! At one point the school boasted 800 students, but this year they could attract only 120! Parents are pissed because they were also required to take part in raising money for the school, and they want to know what happened to it: “That’s a big slap in the face to all the efforts we’ve put in! At no time were we ever told ‘Hey, we have a problem’ or that more money needed to be raised. Volunteering at the school was mandatory and parents were invested in the school. If they had said something, I am sure parents and families would have opened their pockets.”-Nicole Donart-Manty