Most NJ School Districts Will Boast Fewer Teachers And Larger Class Sizes This Year

Most New Jersey public school districts will reopen next month with fewer teachers, larger class sizes, and/or reduced programs, according to survey results released Tuesday by the New Jersey School Boards Association.

"Since February, school districts have experienced two state funding cuts amounting to $1.2 billion, as well as reductions to proposed local tax levies made by municipal officials following widespread budget defeats by voters in April," the association said in a released statement.

To assess the impact of the financial cutbacks on classroom staffing and programs, NJSBA surveyed local school officials from May 25 through June 29.  Approximately 40 percent of the state's operating school districts responded to the survey. While the survey results do not produce a comprehensive number of teaching staff reductions, they do identify trends in classroom staffing.

Some 81 percent of the school officials responding to the survey said their districts would reduce teaching staff in 2010-2011. Almost half of the responding school districts said the teaching staff reductions represent up to 5 percent of 2009-2010 staffing levels. Another 36.6 percent of districts estimate that the layoffs will reduce teaching staff by 6 to 10 percent.

Sixteen percent indicated they would reduce staff size by more than 10 percent, with the number of layoffs exceeding 100 teachers in some larger school systems.

In Montclair, close to 92 teaching and staff positions have been eliminated this year.

For more information on the survey, go here.