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, April 2017:

California:  San Diego Unified School District sent out 2-hundred layoff notices, in addition to earlier layoff announcements!  The district is short $124-million USD in taxpayer funding!  God powerless to stop ‘his’ elementary and secondary school services op Roman Catholic Welfare Corporation from halting operations at three locations, 126 jobs gone by June!

Connecticut: In New Haven, school for students who don’t fit in, Domus Academy shutting down in June due to state budget cuts.

Illinois: Lutherbrook Child and Adolescent Center shutting down, 84 jobs lost, no reason given.

Indiana:  Ivy Tech Community College suddenly laid off 12 people, blaming what I call DSS and a taxpayer funding shortfall of $2.6-million.  God powerless to stop ‘his’ Saint Joseph’s College from renouncing its accreditation, suspending campus activities and eliminating 416 jobs in June! Administrators said they hope to be re-accredited once they get some money to operate the school. Purdue University Northwest shutting down its Charlotte R. Riley Child Center by the end of June, blaming “…recent year….decreased enrollment…..along with escalating costs of providing high quality child care…”

Maryland: Baltimore City Schools warning that even with city and state taxpayer funding increases as many as 1-thousand people will become unemployed!  Administrators say it’s because only now are the previous year’s budget cuts impacting employment, the new funding increases are not enough to stop the bloodletting.

Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts Medical School eliminating 65 jobs due to lack of money.

Michigan: After only five years Grand Rapids Ellington Academy of Arts and Technology shutdown due to what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome.  Kenowa Hills Public Schools eliminating 20 jobs due to lack of $1.6-million in taxpayer funding caused in-part by crashing enrollment.  Horizon Books shutdown its Petoskey location because the company owner wants to retire, and nobody wanted to take over the operation (due to crashing sales).

Minnesota: Minneapolis Public Schools warning of “hundreds” of layoffs due to the budget being $28-million USD short!

Missouri: University of Missouri eliminating 20 jobs in July, due to both crashing enrollments and taxpayer funding.  After 137 years Wentworth Military Academy shutdown due to DSS and escalating operating costs.

New Jersey: Bayonne School District eliminating 3-hundred jobs due to being $6-million short!  Local taxpayers are pissed because last year school funding was boosted by a 3.95% tax increase!  Known for Home of the Friars basketball, god powerless to stop ‘his’ Saint Anthony High School from shutting down due to The Rapture (not enough students or money: “Our seats had not gotten warm and we were done!”-Bob Hurley, basketball coach

New Mexico: Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) eliminating teaching jobs covertly by increasing class size and cutting department budgets by 10% and by requiring high school teachers to teach more classes. Also, APS is reducing the number of ‘contract days’.  Administrators say they’re just getting ready for state taxpayer funding cuts. Santa Fe Public Schools warning it could be forced to shutdown two elementary schools due to expected state taxpayer funding cuts.

New York: In Wallkill, school bus contractor First Student lost two contracts, 238 jobs gone by June!  In Bronx-NYC, Montauk Student Transport eliminating 116 jobs in September due to loss of contract!  In Brooklyn-NYC, Otsar Early Childhood Center shutting down, 61 jobs gone by the end of June.  God powerless to stop Catholic Charities from shutting down its Fidelis Parenting/Fatherhood Program by July.   In Ronkonkoma, Community Program Centers shutting down its Early Discoveries Center Childcare program, at least 33 jobs gone by the end of June.

North Carolina: War of budgets as state lawmakers force schools to reduce class sizes, and schools say they don’t have the money to hire the extra teachers.  Lawmakers called bull-shit on that and claim that next year’s state budget for schools includes money to hire new teachers.  School administrators call bull-shit on that saying the increase in state funding barely makes up for previous year’s cutbacks.

Ohio: Wright State University warning 170 employees of layoffs in an effort to save $35-million, never mind that they admitted they over-spent $40-million!  North Royalton School District are threatening 23 job cuts if cash-strapped taxpayers don’t vote to approve yet another levy.  In Columbus, Half Price Books shutdown its store on North High Street.  Apparently it’s the third Half Price Books to recently shutdown.

Oregon: Rogue Community College jacked-up tuition and warned of about 20 layoffs due to state ‘lawmakers’ reducing taxpayer funding for next year by about $5.2-million.  Students are not happy.

Pennsylvania:  Mark DiRocco, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, stated “Many districts have still not recovered from the Great Recession.”  Remember, Barack Obama declared The Great Recession over in 2013!

Education Management shutting down in Pittsburgh, 75 jobs lost by the end of August.  DuBois Area School Board shutting down three elementary schools due to not enough students and not enough money.   God powerless to stop ‘his’ Saint Bartholomew School from shutting down.  It’s blamed on The Rapture, I mean crashing enrollment, and skyrocketing debts incurred to operate the school.  California, Cheyney, Clarion, and Edinboro universities all say they must eliminate jobs and cut programs due to long term taxpayer funding cuts.  Now obviously corrupt Quakertown warning of two school shutdowns and 50 teacher layoffs due to lacking $4.8-million in funding, despite 30 straight years of tax increases for cash-strapped local taxpayers (who are really pissed-off right now)! 

Virginia: Central Virginia Training Center  laying off 14 people in the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services in May.

Dumbing Down March 2017: “EXPERIENCING DECLINING ENROLLMENT, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO”