11.24.08

School districts across the United States are tightening their belts in anticipation of a meager fiscal diet that could carry into 2011.

As state and local revenue declines, officials are looking for the trims least likely to harm the quality of education. Although some districts have rainy-day funds to tap, concern is growing that students, particularly those who are struggling to learn or who are homeless, are going to feel the pinch.

Just over a third of superintendents in a recent national survey said they've already increased the size of classes because of the downturn, according to the American Association of School Administrators, an organization in Arlington, Va., that supports high standards for public education. Thirty percent of superintendents are considering layoffs. Of the two-thirds who said their districts are inadequately funded, 83 percent think it's detrimental to their ability to close achievement gaps for minority groups.

If the dry spell lasts through multiple school years, "that's when real noticeable things start to happen," says Michael Griffith, an analyst at the Education Commission of the States, a policy group in Denver. Delaying purchases leads to book shortages, while school technology and infrastructure fray. The ax often comes down on after-school and summer-school programs for struggling students. "The people who are hurt the most are those who need the most assistance," Mr. Griffith says.