PA Education Jobs Surpass other Public Sector Jobs

Pennsylvania's public education sector, including teachers, administrators and ancillary school staff, grew by 24% over the past decade, according to the conservative think tank the Allegheny Institute. Senior Policy Analyst Eric Montarti says they based their findings on 2010 census data. "If you look at all the other categories of local government employment - and that's everything from city managers, to police officers, to sanitation workers, to health and welfare - those groups grew roughly 3%, which is the same amount as the state's population grew." He says they also found that employment at Pittsburgh Public School's central offices greatly increased over the past decade. Montarti says former governor Ed Rendell's focus on education, which included hiring specialized educators like reading and math coaches, a big boost to the state's education budget, and federal stimulus dollars all contributed to the growth in employment. But with a new governor in office, a state deficit and the popularity of "school choice," Montarti says he expects that trend to reverse as school districts begin to trim their budgets. The report can be found at http://www.alleghenyinstitute.org/.