While the situation has not hit the crisis point for most districts, it is a definite concern for many, said Barbara M. Wheeler, the president of the National School Boards Association. In fact, not all communities are sharing equally in the economic boom. Unemployment remains above the national average in big cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Miami and in smaller communities such as Yuma, Ariz., and McAllen, Texas, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Nationally, the unemployment rate has hovered just below 5 percent for more than a year. The last time unemployment was so consistently low was in the late-1960s through early 1970, according to Labor Department spokesman Carl Fillichio.
Low unemployment makes for a job seeker's market.
Service and retail jobs are especially plentiful, forcing school districts to compete with private industry to hire support workers, labor experts say. Districts usually are at a disadvantage when competing for such workers because schools offer seasonal, part-time, and shift work at relatively low pay without full benefits. But there are signs that may be changing in a more competitive labor market. The labor crunch is especially acute in districts hit by the double whammy of fast-growing student enrollment and a shrinking labor pool. As a human resources administrator in the 56,000-student Seminole County, Fla., schools, James J. Elliott is only too familiar with the tale.