Milwaukee schools to lay off 354 teachers

[The Northerner]

(CNN) -- In a budget-cutting move likely to be echoed around the country, Milwaukee Public Schools said Wednesday it will lay off 519 staff members -- including 354 teachers -- because of $84 million in state cuts and the system's efforts to control costs.

Superintendent Gregory Thornton also said schools will likely see larger class sizes and the continued use of older textbooks. The state budget cut means $200 less per child, officials said.

The layoffs are effective on Friday, the beginning of the third quarter, when cash-strapped state and local governments are forecast to shed up to 110,000 jobs, according to IHS Global Insight.

Thornton said he was "extremely troubled" that most of the affected teachers are in elementary schools.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/29/wisconsin.teacher.layoffs/