North Carolina's Education Numbers

This information will be of interest to many North Carolina citizens, especially parents, students, and educators. The Friday Report is published weekly by the Public School Forum of NC.

Education Cuts Highlighted in Fitzsimon File’s Numbers

Published: by Chris Fitzsimon

Fitzsimon File’s Monday’s Numbers

Monday, September 19, 2011

16,678—number of jobs eliminated in public schools in North Carolina in the last four years (“North Carolina’s Disappearing Educators,” N.C. Budget and Tax Center, September 2011)

8—number of school districts in North Carolina that have eliminated more than one in five positions compared to 2008 staffing levels (Ibid)

24—number of school districts in North Carolina have eliminated more than one in ten teacher positions compared to 2008 staffing levels (Ibid)

31—number of school districts in North Carolina have eliminated more than one in four teacher assistant positions compared to 2008 staffing levels (Ibid)

49—ranking in 2007-2008 of North Carolina among 50 states in administrative spending for public education (Ibid)

1,445,628—number of students enrolled in North Carolina public schools in 2008-2009 school year (N.C. Department of Public Instruction)

1,480,991—number of students expected to enroll in public schools in 2011-2012 (Senate Education Committee on Education Target Comparisons, Fiscal Research Division, N.C. General Assembly, May 11, 2011)

0—number of teacher and teacher and teacher assistant positions that House Speaker Thom Tillis said were cut by the General Assembly in the 2011-2012 budget (House Speaker Thom Tillis, June 15, 2011)

534—number of teachers laid off in public schools due to the cuts made in the 2011-2012 budget (“Public Schools Have Cut More than Eight Percent of Staff Since 2008-2009, N.C. Department of Public Instruction News Release, August 31, 2011)

1,260—number of teacher assistants laid off in public schools due to the cuts made in the 2011-2012 budget (Ibid)

2,418—total number of layoffs in public education in 2011-2012 due to budget cuts made by the General Assembly (Ibid)

6,307—total number of public school jobs that have been eliminated in 2011-2012 due to budget cuts made by the General Assembly (Ibid)

4,000—minimum number of current public school jobs funded by one-time federal stimulus dollars that will be gone in 2012-2013 (“North Carolina’s Disappearing Educators,” N.C. Budget and Tax Center, September 2011)

45—ranking in 2007-2008 of North Carolina among 50 states in per-pupil expenditures for education (Ibid)

49—ranking in 2010-2011 of North Carolina among 50 states in per-pupil expenditures for education (N.C. Department of Public Instruction)