California Public Schools May Ax 20,000 Teachershttp://news.yahoo.com/california-public-schools-may-ax-20-000-teachers-212300339.htmlSan Francisco Chronicle readers woke up to the news that approximately 20,000 public school teachers may not have a job when school starts again in fall. Budget uncertainties are some of the reasons why not all current teachers may come back to the classroom in the 2012 to 2013 school year.
* March 15 is the agreed upon deadline for school districts to warn current teachers of possible layoffs. As pointed out by the Mercury News, districts have used this negotiated deadline to send out pink slips to teachers "just to keep their options open," even if district administrators believe that they may have the funds needed to re-employ the educators in the fall.
* $2.4 billion is the threatened year-end education budget cut that Gov. Jerry Brown will make if his Nov. ballot tax increase measure does not pass. The sum total of cuts is twice as high over two years.
* $807 is the average amount of money that would be cut from each student's education allowance per year in California's public schools.
* 299,666 is the number of public school teachers in the 2009 to 2010 school year, the California Department of Education reported. This figure encompasses all grade levels.
* 1,032 school districts serve the Golden State's students.
* 10,216 schools are located within these school districts as of the 2010 to 2011 school year, the department explains. The majority of these schools are elementary schools.
* 6,189,908 students attended California's public schools in 2009 to 2010. The majority of learners require a Kindergarten through fifth grade learning environment as well as licensed instructors and aides.
* 6,217,002 is the number of enrolled students in the 2010 to 2011 school year.
* 512,826 children attend private schools in California.
* 50.37 percent of public school students are Hispanic or Latino.
* $67,932 is the average salary of a full-time teacher in California's public schools.
* 67 percent is the English language arts target proficiency for California's public school children. Out of 12 learner groups, only four tested at this percentile or higher, the 2010 to 2011 accountability progress report shows.
* 67.3 percent is the target proficiency percentile for mathematics. Of the 12 groups, only four scored at this level or higher.
* 80.53 percent is the 2011 graduation rate, which applies to the class of the 2009 to 2010 school year. This figure is up from 78.59 percent in 2010.