Lawmakers eliminating teachers' jobs

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There's little doubt that the General Assembly's budget cuts will hurt public education in South Carolina. With state lawmakers gutting basic education funding, school districts have little choice but to cut teaching positions, expand class size and cut some courses. The result will be a narrower curriculum and less time for teachers to grade assignments, communicate with parents and work with students on an individual basis.

The Greenville County school district will have to cut an estimated 290 teachers to bridge a $28 million budget shortfall next year. That comes on top of an already announced cut to the district office and the elimination of seven assistant superintendents and other staff to save $7.3 million.

Average Greenville County classrooms will increase by three students, but that number is deceptive because some classrooms — such as special education classrooms — have mandated limits. The increase for the average classroom is likely to be much higher. That, in turn, is certain to impede the educational process.

The final numbers are uncertain as House and Senate lawmakers continue to battle over the budget. Most school districts rightfully are basing their budgets on the most conservative estimates of what will emerge from Columbia. The House has set the state per-pupil spending at $1,643, which takes public education back to funding levels of 1994. Based on that estimate, schools across the state have eliminated 1,500 teaching positions, and as many as 6,000 positions eventually may be eliminated.

There is some hope that Senate lawmakers will raise the per-pupil spending level, which should be $2,201 according to the Education Finance Act. But Senate leaders said the final result should not be far above the House's numbers. State Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum has urged the Legislature to commit to full education funding, while Gov. Sanford has emphasized reform rather than full funding.

Hardest hit by the budget cuts will be the state's poorer, rural districts. Those districts, with their lower salaries and far from ideal situations, already are unable to recruit and retain the best teachers. Those districts also are unable to raise property taxes to make up for state budget cuts because they have very limited taxable wealth.

Many school districts will increase property taxes to help close yawning budget gaps, and thus state lawmakers will have succeeded in making school boards the fall guys for the Legislature's abdication of responsibility.

Districts that raise taxes most likely will still have to cut staff because the Legislature is taking such a huge bite out of basic education funding. State lawmakers should understand that their actions will have negative consequences for education for years to come.