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The State's Budget Crisis:
Building the case for revenues:

Public Education layoffs projected to hit 1,000

Pressure is needed for legislators to support new revenues

    The 'Big Heads' met last week. Usually this group of legislative leaders (the Senate and House legislative leaders from both parties) does not meet until mid-May, but the current budget crisis brought them together far earlier. How can we close the state’s $250 million FY09 budget deficit?  
    Cuts that would result from an 8% funding reduction (from the Governor's 2009 proposed budget) were gathered from school superintendents earlier that day. The first estimate:  the layoff of approximately 1,000 public school jobs (all types of employees). The re sulting programmatic chaos --- rollback of full-day K, outrageously large class sizes, among others --- painted an ugly picture. The pressure is building.

     Monday, the April DEFAC (Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Committee) revenue estimate reduced this year’s revenue estimates yet again. The Office of Management and Budget has already achieved just under $60 million in savings but now must find another $62 million. The pressure is building.

     The crisis, however, is about next year. Based on the state budget the Governor submitted in January, lawmakers are thus facing a budget deficit approaching $250 million. The pressure is building for the need for new state revenues.

   DEFAC economists did express cautious optimism that the overall economic situation will improve but we’ll have to wait for their next estimate in May, followed by the final official revenue estimate that will be issued on the third Monday in June.

   All of this leads to one fundamental realization:  the need for new state revenues. The reality of the situation, however, still has not been accepted. Some legislators and other key business leaders continue to believe that the state and local school districts can cut their way out of the current crisis. Therein lies the issue. On radio talk shows and in the corridors of legislative hall, powerful, influential people are calling for no layoffs in education; of finding a way to keep public education employees from losing their jobs. Even the three Democratic Gubernatorial candidates are saying that they are urging legislators to not balance the budget with education employee layoffs.

   This being an election year, the innate resistance to avoid voting for new revenues will be a formidable political obstacle to overcome. Expect a rash of layoff notices to be sent out on or before May 15th, the state law deadline for issuance to public school teachers. As harsh and crude as this may seem, only when the scale of the school layoffs is seen will reluctant legislators and other major opinion leaders begin to understand the need to take action on new revenues.

 In the meantime, here's what you can do...

• Contact your state legislators. Let them know the cuts will affect you and your school district. For contact information, click here. 
• Ask for their support for new revenues --- these revenues are needed badly and will be put to good use.
• Let them know that you appreciate that this will be a difficult vote for them to make, but one that is justified. 
• Keep your comments positive and directed at the results of the possible cuts.

   Thank you! And you can always go to www.dsea.org for instant updates.

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Delaware State Education Association
136 E. Water Street • Dover, DE 19901 • tel 1-866-734-5834 • fax 302-674-8499