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Education Dive
'Notable' June job gains don't include public education employment
Naaz Modan
July 6, 2020
Dive Brief:
A monthly employment report released by the U.S. Department of Labor
shows "notable job gains" for the education sector in June, but the
numbers indicate public education employment changed little throughout
the month.
An increase of 70,000 local public education jobs was partially offset
by 25,000 job losses in state government education, making the overall
number of public education jobs gained around 45,000.
Meanwhile, employment in private education increased by 93,000 in the same time period.
Dive Insight:
The losses, according to the report, could be in part due to the
seasonal changes in education, which sees cyclical dips of about 20% in
employment over the summer months.
However, unemployment in public education is still significantly higher
compared to this time last year. State education unemployment is up by
almost 10% compared to June 2019, and local education unemployment is
7.5% more than this time last year, according to seasonally adjusted
data.
Still, education job losses in June slowed significantly since May,
which saw steep declines in both local and state public education
employment. Employment in private education increased during both
months.
The U.S. Department of Education cited the closure of "nearly 100"
private schools during the release of its final rule on Coronavirus
Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funds in June, which requires
districts to set aside a share for local private schools that varies
based on how<?> the money is used in public schools.
But trends since April show employment in private education has
steadily increased while employment in public education overall has
declined.
Nearly 759,000 public school employees across the country have already
lost their jobs since March 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics. Those were mostly due to furloughs or temporary layoffs,
according to the nonprofit Pew Charitable Trusts, which said districts
made significant cuts to noninstructional hourly staff, such as bus
drivers and maintenance workers.
Those could turn permanent in the face of budget cuts, which many are bracing for in the wake of tax revenue shortfalls.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, early state
projections suggest revenue shortfalls for the new fiscal year, which
began July 1 for most states, could be equal to or more than the worst
year of the Great Recession. The progressive think tank has predicted
$615 billion in state budget shortfalls between fiscal years 2020 and
2022.
If the economic downturn goes unchecked, education could be slated to
lose 1.89 million education jobs over the next three years, according
to estimates by the National Education Association.
Federal legislation that passed the House of Representatives last week
would invest $130 billion in school infrastructure as districts seek to
reopen schools for the fall; it is awaiting a vote in the Senate.
However, since the passage of CARES, no legislation providing
significant education funding has made it to the president's desk.
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