Erica Popoca’s ninth-grade English class was upset last spring when she announced she wouldn’t be returning to teach this fall.

The school district in Hartford, Connecticut, let her go because the COVID-19 relief funds that had previously covered her salary were running out. As a newer teacher, Popoca was among the first to lose her job. In response, her students wrote letters to school board members asking them to reconsider.

As a founding adviser of the multilingual student club, Popoca feared losing her connection with Latino students she had guided for two years, especially since she is one of the few Spanish-speaking teachers in the school and shares a cultural background with them.

Fortunately, the district managed to find alternative funding to keep her employed, and the decision to lay her off was reversed, much to the relief of her and her students.

Popoca is just one of many teachers and school staff across the U.S. facing job loss as districts navigate budget constraints and the end of COVID-19 relief funding. Many districts are trying to reassign staff who will not be funded, which means many students will lose connections with trusted adults from their recent educational experiences.

Over the past few years, the Biden administration allocated $189.5 billion to schools through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. School systems have until the end of September to allocate their remaining funds, after which they cannot use that money for non-teaching staff.

According to an analysis by the U.S. Department of Education conducted for the fiscal year 2022, schools primarily spent their relief funds on classroom teachers and essential support staff. With the end of these funds, many newly hired educators, teaching assistants, counselors, and other vital school personnel are facing layoffs, or districts are urgently seeking ways to keep them.

A recent survey by Rand, a nonprofit research group, revealed that reductions in teaching staff were the most frequently anticipated budget cuts. Reports indicate that discussions about staff layoffs have emerged in at least 28 districts as they approach a financial crisis.

Post-pandemic layoffs have happened widely. Helena Public Schools in Montana eliminated 36 positions, including 21 teachers. In Texas, the Arlington Independent School District cut 275 roles, affecting counselors, tutors, and teaching assistants.

In states with “last-in-first-out” policies, newer teachers are the first to be laid off, protecting tenured staff. Aaron Pallas, a professor of sociology and education at Columbia University, notes that many laid-off educators will be people of color. States that had diversified their teacher workforce are likely to see a regression since those recently hired, often more diverse, teachers are more vulnerable to layoffs compared to more experienced, typically white, educators.

Schools that serve low-income populations will likely experience the most significant impact from these funding changes, as these schools tended to receive more federal relief money.

When schools used the relief funds, they were obligated to follow certain equity guidelines. The cessation of these funds is expected to disproportionately affect students of color and those living in high-poverty areas.

Popoca, who hails from the Bronx in New York City, expressed concern over the future implications for her school community.

“I feel relieved but cautious, as we still have many vacant positions,” she said. “Our staffing levels aren’t what they should be, and I worry about the effects of this staff shortage on students and the overall school environment.”

Which States Are Likely to See Cuts in New Teachers?

At least 11 states – including Alaska, California, Hawaii, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island – have policies that explicitly require districts to consider seniority in layoff decisions, according to a 2023 analysis by Educators for Excellence, a New York-based nonprofit focused on education policy reform. Some other states, like Connecticut, allow such considerations but do not mandate them, while others entirely prohibit the use of seniority in layoffs.

Due to their tendency to work in higher-poverty schools, first-year teachers may face job losses in significant numbers, according to Marguerite Roza, director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University.

“This is incredibly disruptive for students,” Roza stated. “And the outcomes for teachers are not favorable either.”

When Popoca informed her class, primarily composed of Black and Latino eighth-graders, about her impending layoff, it caused great sadness. She represents one of the few new staffers of color returning to the district this year, with several of her colleagues having lost their jobs last spring.

She mentioned that she won’t be returning when the school year begins.

What should families anticipate in schools?

Alongside job cuts due to emergency funding, Roza mentioned that many educators might choose to leave on their own. Some districts may also opt to reduce their staff size through natural attrition instead of layoffs.

“They are likely hoping that teachers decide to leave voluntarily,” Roza stated.

Most job reductions will probably impact the support staff that districts added during the pandemic to assist students in their recovery, according to Pallas from Columbia.

The school counselors, nurses, restorative justice coordinators, and teaching assistants who were brought on recently will be let go, and students will feel this gap as the new school year begins, he noted.

Francis Pina is among a few staff members and one of the only Black men hired by Boston Public Schools to train educators on incorporating social-emotional learning into their teaching. He learned at the end of last school year that his position, along with most others on his team, was being eliminated as it was classified as temporary. Pina was funded through COVID-19 emergency resources until the academic year’s conclusion.

Although he will return this year as a high school math teacher, Pina is anxious about the future of the district’s social-emotional learning initiative.

When he was informed about his role ending, he expressed concern, feeling it was essential to assist students grappling with ongoing academic, social, and emotional challenges stemming from the pandemic. He believes that students in the district are still dealing with these challenges, even as the district shifts back to its normal operations.

As a Black man who attended Boston Public Schools, Pina feels he offers valuable insights to students, particularly Black students, helping them succeed both academically and emotionally.

“Focusing on this aspect is vital,” Pina emphasized. “Students need to feel valued and cared for.”

Challenges to Teacher Diversity

While Massachusetts, where Pina teaches, has seen progress in diversifying its teaching staff, the state’s last-in-first-out policy may hinder further improvements, according to Roza from the research lab at Georgetown.

This situation is particularly concerning as students of color now represent the majority in public schools across the U.S. A May analysis by TNTP, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for students of color and those living in poverty, highlighted that nearly a quarter of public schools lack any educators of color on their staff. Research shows that students of color tend to perform better academically when taught by teachers from diverse backgrounds.

The end of emergency funding may further decrease representation in schools.

To prevent these losses and challenge seniority-based layoffs, some lawmakers attempted to modify the rules surrounding layoffs, but faced opposition from the state teachers’ union, which argued that these changes could undermine protections for more seasoned educators. In March, the Massachusetts Legislature turned down parts of educational bills that would have altered seniority criteria for layoffs.

“While we appreciate the legislature’s efforts to enhance teacher diversity in Massachusetts, it’s disappointing that the Education Committee did not prioritize safeguarding these crucial educators during district layoffs,” stated Lisa Lazare, executive director of the Massachusetts chapter of Educators for Excellence.

Roza predicts that this year, a greater number of newer teachers of color will likely face layoffs.

Meanwhile, Popoca in Connecticut is eager to reconnect with her students, many of whom hail from Latin American backgrounds, with whom she feels a special connection. However, she is concerned about the impending cuts due to the district’s immediate need for additional teachers and support staff.

She has heard from individuals considering teaching positions in Hartford or elsewhere who have since decided against it because of the district’s financial challenges.

“This situation is incredibly worrying,” she remarked.