As thousands of students return to school in the next week, there will be fewer teachers in the region's classrooms.
More than 100 teaching positions have been eliminated through furloughs or attrition in Lackawanna County since 2010.
In many districts, that means larger class sizes.
Some elementary school classrooms will have rosters in the high 20s, instead of the high teens. Programs have been curtailed and classes cut.
"Sadly, it's what has to be done in today's environment," Carbondale Area Interim Superintendent David Cerra said. "After this, there will be no place to cut."
In 2011-12, with a cut of almost $1 billion in education spending statewide, Pennsylvania school districts eliminated more than 14,000 positions through furloughs or by attrition - leaving the positions of retiring teachers unfilled, according to a survey released in May by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators and Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials. With the cuts, 70 percent of districts increased class size.
Nationwide, student-teacher ratio increased by 4.6 percent from 2008 to 2010 and since 2009, 300,000 education jobs have been lost, according to a White House report released earlier this month.
With no state funds restored for 2012-13, area class sizes may continue to grow larger and the number of unemployed teachers grow higher.
Job losses
Since September 2010, Abington Heights has not replaced 22 retiring teachers. That means some elementary classes that were in the high teens will now be as high as 26. Education advocates stress that small class sizes benefit students.
"We're uncomfortable with the cuts we've made," Superintendent Michael Mahon, Ph.D., said. "We didn't have room to cut in the first place."
Several English classes, two elementary reading classes, the Latin program and elementary technology classes have been eliminated.
"Really what we have to focus on is being a sustainable organization," Dr. Mahon said. "Our revenue really must match our expenses. ... We're very cautious about spending money we don't have."
Scranton eliminated 37 jobs last year through attrition. The teacher's contract caps class size between 27 and 30, depending on grade level. If a class is too large, a teacher must be added. Elementary and intermediate school technology teachers were eliminated, and there are no longer dedicated teachers in reading labs, Superintendent William King said.
"The challenges are getting greater and greater every year," Mr. King said.
In Carbondale, 13 teachers have not been replaced in the last two years, Mr. Cerra said. Art, music and physical education classes will all see a jump in class size, he said.
Dunmore has lost four and a half teaching jobs. Along with the cuts to support staff and one administrator, 11 jobs have been cut, Superintendent Richard McDonald said.
Lakeland is the only Lackawanna County district to not have eliminated any teaching positions. At Valley View, a retiring keyboard teacher was not replaced and literacy and math coaches were lost. No classroom teachers were lost.
Mid Valley has lost nine teachers. When administrators, teachers' aides, hall monitors, secretaries and other jobs are considered, 38 positions have been cut through furloughs or attrition in the last two years. The cuts have resulted in a "minor increase" in class size, Superintendent Randy Parry said. Academic programs have remained intact, but the road portion of the drivers' education class has been eliminated.
"I really think we're at a balancing point," Mr. Parry said. "If you go any deeper, it's really going to hurt."
Riverside furloughed eight teachers for this school year.
As a result, elementary class size will be closer to 25, after being between 16 and 18 in previous years, Superintendent David Woods said.
No programs were eliminated, but students may be more limited with options. There are now three guidance counselors instead of five, and one Spanish teacher instead of two, Mr. Woods said.
North Pocono has lost eight teachers and one administrator and furloughed seven support staff members. A light dip in enrollment over the last couple years has helped reduce the impact on class size, Superintendent Bryan McGraw said.
"I think the scary thing is, with pension obligations going up ... and health care costs continuing to rise as well, funding seems to be level," Mr. McGraw said. "Where is the district going to come up with the money? Our taxpayers can only give so much."
Old Forge has lost three teaching jobs through attrition, and class size will not be affected, Superintendent R. Scott Jeffery said. At the high school, the only difference will not be having a dedicated librarian, he said.
Finding jobs
Cuts have also been deep outside Lackawanna County. In June, the Tunkhannock Area School Board approved the elimination of 31 faculty positions.
At Pocono Mountain, driven by a decline in enrollment, 228 positions have been eliminated in two years. Enrollment there has gone from 11,700 students to now less than 10,000.
And although job prospects are bleak, the applications from recent graduates, and now furloughed teachers, continue to pile up on the desks of superintendents.
Mr. King estimates he receives two to three applications a day, many from teachers laid off in the Poconos.
"It's a sign of the times," he said. "But when does it hit the point of no return?'
Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com, @hofiushallTT on Twitter