Pink Slips Discourage Potential Educators - KCBS

Pink Slips Discourage Potential Educators - KCBS

Pink Slips Discourage Potential Educators

Some say there's a connection between layoffs and fewer potential educators, and that state budget cuts to education now could mean a teacher shortage in California later. Margaret Gaston, president of the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, said when teachers get laid off, California's education system feels the effects for years to come. KCBS' Melissa Culross reports "History tells us when pink slips are issued there's a concurrent decline in the number of individuals preparing to become teachers,"she said. Gaston says that the number of first and second year teachers dropped twenty percent between the 2007-2008 school year and the 2008-2009 school year. She adds that more teachers will be retiring over the next several years and student enrolment is rising, making the prospect of fewer future teachers more worrisome.