“…you have a storm warning.”: Dumbing Down the U.S. of A., June 2017

Disappearing Students Syndrome (DSS): A phrase created by me to describe a phenomenon taking place across the United States, affecting both privately and publicly funded schools, from Kindergarten all the way through University levels.

Incomplete list of publicly announced education related layoffs & school shutdowns, June 2017:

Arkansas: God powerless to stop the shutdown of ‘his’  Ambassadors for Christ Academy in Bentonville.  Local news media said no official reason was made public, but that enrollment at the K thru 12 school had crashed from hundreds of students to just 95 students!  (The Rapture anybody?)

California:  Job killing Los Angeles School District about to kill-off an additional 120+ jobs! Plus 180 positions would be ‘reassigned’ and almost everybody will get reduced pay.  It’s blamed on what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome.

Florida: After 99 years Jones College suddenly shutdown due to “loss of ACICS accreditation”.  The pinko commie leaders of Orlando denied factual U.S. history by tearing down a Civil War statue called Johnny Reb.

Illinois: City Colleges eliminating 120 jobs due to the fact that Illinois is a true Failed State!  God powerless to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ 55 years old sexist ‘girls only’ Queen of Peace High School in Burbank.

Kansas: The after school service known as Labette County Boys and Girls Club shutting down: “Unfortunately, we must cease our operations. Recent changes in the Boys & Girls Clubs of America have made it impossible for us to gain the charter we have been working diligently toward for the last several years.”

Maryland: Baltimore City Public Schools notified 115 people they will soon be unemployed!  Barnes & Nobel bookseller shutdown its store in Towson.

Massachusetts: The mayor of Leominster wants to cut next year’s estimated school funding by $5.6-million USD, which of course means mass layoffs.  God powerless to stop ‘his’ 66 years old Saint Anthony School from total shutdown due to The Rapture: “The numbers of enrolled students simply cannot support the financial responsibilities that would be necessary to operate and provide a quality education…”-Reverend Leo-Paul LeBlanc

Minnesota: Saint Paul Public Schools eliminating 11 jobs due to what I call DSS which leads to crashing taxpayer funding.  After 27 years St. Croix Antiquarian Booksellers shutting down in July, so the owner can retire: “It helped me put six kids through college.  But it’s a tough business, especially in this day and age.”-Gary Goodman

Nebraska: God powerless to stop ‘his’ Boys Town based Boys Town from shutting down after-school ops in the states of California, New York and Texas: “California, New York and Texas are attempting to reform their child welfare system and are doing so in ways that makes it difficult to provide quality, family-style care of the type Boys Town has built a long history of providing.”

New York: The number of 8th graders failing the Common Core math test went from 14-thousand in 2012 to 44-thousand-483 with the most recent results! David Rubel, education consultant, sounded an alarm saying “I think you have a storm warning.”  However, Bob Schaeffer of FairTest pointed out that “Cutoff scores have been manipulated to produce politically desirable results in many jurisdictions.”   Stepping Stones Learning Center suddenly shutdown, affecting 5-hundred families!  The Empire State says the child care center violated numerous state regulations, plus the company that operates it is financially broke.  God powerless to stop ‘his’ Nebraska based Boys Town from shutting down six Father Flanagan’s Boys Homes, 92 jobs gone by September.  God powerless to stop ‘his’ College of New Rochelle from suddenly laying off 32 people, in an attempt “to achieve financial stability.”  God powerless to stop the shutdown of ‘his’ Saint Joseph’s School in Kingston due to The Rapture, I mean DSS: “St. Joseph’s has seen a decline in enrollment in recent years which has presented considerable operational challenges to maintaining the school.”-Archdiocese Superintendent of Schools Timothy McNiff

Ohio: Akron Board of Education will shutdown three schools, eliminating 93 jobs in an attempt to be “fiscally responsible”.   Wright State University eliminating 52 jobs as part of efforts to reduce the budget by $31-million.

Oregon: The Roseburg Library shutdown on the last day of May. Nearly all of Douglas County’s libraries now closed due to cash strapped taxpayers rejecting yet another tax-levy to fund the library system.

Pennsylvania:  After 15 years Black and Nobel shutting down due to lack of sales, the owner is trying to crowd-source $250-thousand USD to keep the bookstore open.  Philadelphia Schools threatening to eliminate 3-thousand-8-hundred jobs, unless taxpayers are willing to pay an additional 16% tax on top of what they already pay!  Isn’t that blackmail?  That which cannot be named powerless to stop ‘its’ seven years old National Museum of American Jewish History from suddenly laying off 18 people.  Vacant positions will not be filled, expected pay raises have been cancelled and some employees will have their pay reduced due to crashing attendance and memberships.

Texas: The San Antonio Museum of Art suddenly laid off 11 people, blaming it on unexpected building repairs.   It was revealed that Austin based for-profit electronic-education company Civitas Learning suddenly laid off 10% of its employees, back in May!

Virginia: Privately run living history museum Colonial Williamsburg continues to kill jobs, this time 71 people will become unemployed and 262 positions will be outsourced!   God powerless to stop ‘his’ 45 years old Alliance Christian Academy from sudden shutdown: “The reality is that the church is defining its mission and strategy for the future. Moving forward, the church is simply going to be focusing on its role as a church and not staffing and supporting a school.”-Glenn Reynolds, attorney

Dumbing Down May 2017: “This is very troubling, the worst I’ve ever seen it!”