Teacher Layoffs Loom as Schools Face Loss of Pandemic Funds

Thousands of teachers and school staff are expected to lose their jobs as districts nationwide brace for a sharp decline in funding due to the expiration of massive federal pandemic relief aid.

The roughly $190 billion in K-12 relief was the largest single injection of federal money into U.S. public education. It allowed many districts to hire additional staff, from teachers to tutors to mental health counselors, to cope with COVID-19’s upheaval.

But that three-year funding boom is quickly closing, with the money required to be spent by September. Districts simultaneously face challenges like enrollment declines and rising costs that are squeezing budgets further, CNN reported.