Dive Brief:

• Many school districts across the country have not recovered from job cuts that took place during the recession, something that's reflected in larger class sizes.
• The numbers are simple: Government figures show public schools employing about 250,000 fewer people than before the recession, while enrollment is up by more than 800,000.
• An economist says public schools should have hired about 130,000 people to maintain staffing ratios in place before the recession.

Dive Insight:

With the wheels of government often turning slowly, it's not surprising that any economic upswing would take time to catch on in public school systems — especially after a prolonged and severe recession. The article points out that it's not just classroom teachers where the cuts have hit; learning specialists in reading and special education have also seen their numbers reduced.