TECUMSEH, Mich. — Michigan schools could potentially lose about 5,100 teaching positions in the next couple of years because federal pandemic funding will be gone in September.
"We have a structural issue here in Michigan when it comes to properly funding our local schools," said Thomas Morgan, spokesperson for the Michigan Education Association.
He says if districts haven't prepared for the halt to funding, now is the time to get started.
"Every school district is different, and so it really depends on where it is to determine what the situation is in that individual district," Morgan said.
In a survey, the Citizens Research Council of Michigan found that nearly 700 school districts in Michigan increased the amount of teachers in schools since the pandemic.
According to Council Director Craig Thiel, that's because schools had the federal funding to hire more teachers.
"So if schools are forced to return to their previous staffing ratios, we estimate that about 5,100 teaching positions would have to be eliminated," he said.
The analysis also found a decline in the amount of student enrollment.
So what happens now?
"It's critical that school districts, administrators and school boards work closely with their frontline staff, those experts in public education and work shoulder to shoulder with them to address their challenges and find solutions that minimize disruptions to student learning," Morgan said.
Vic Pratt, spokesperson for Tecumseh Public Schools, said the district is undergoing reconfiguration by cutting $2.1 million from next year's budget, closing two school buildings and laying off three teachers between retirements.
Next year's staffing level for Tecumseh is set as long as no other teachers leave, he said.