Every Assistant Principal In Philadelphia Is Getting Laid Off Today

Philadelphia schools are suffering the latest casualties in the ongoing education crisis in the U.S.

ABC 6 News in Philadelphia is reporting that all 160 assistant principals in the city's school district will lose their jobs as part of thousands of layoffs that will go into effect at the end of the month.

The Philadelphia School District is trying to close a $304 million budget gap. Art, music, and athletic programs will be hit hard by what some are calling the "Doomsday Budget."

Chicago is another big city that is turning to drastic cuts amid a budget crisis.

The city's school district is closing 49 elementary schools this summer, and the teachers union says the district might institute thousands of teacher layoffs to reduce spending. Chicago Public Schools is facing a $1 billion budget deficit.

Public schools across the country have been laying off tens of thousands of employees amid state budget shortfalls. In December, 11,000 of the 13,000 local government jobs lost were in public schools, according to Reuters.

Local governments have cut 300,000 education jobs since August 2008.

Stimulus money in 2009 helped states fix their budget shortfalls, but once the money was gone, some states were forced to implement widespread funding cuts.