The American Association of School Administrators released data showing that school districts will continue to lay off record numbers of support personnel through at least next spring in response to the nation's longest recession since the Great Depression.

Earlier this year, AASA's survey "Cliff Hanger" found that the anticipated job cuts both the current school year and the 2010-2011 school year would surpass the number of jobs saved by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed last year, but which has completed funding. The latest survey conducted sought to show how AASA members would be forced to respond to ever-shrinking education budgets when it came to hiring and firing. And the results are not promising.

Lumped with cafeteria and maintenance jobs, transportation personnel fell under the category of classified jobs that AASA members reported would consist of nearly 8,600 job cuts during the 2010-2011 school year. These classified jobs were second only to teachers, which totaled 14,878 jobs forecasted to be cut.

Noelle Ellerson, a policy analyst for AASA, said it was conceivable that more transportation jobs could be included in the category "administrative jobs," if respondents classified a transportation administrator, director or supervisor as a central office role.

In all, AASA estimated that 275,000 education jobs could be cut next school year. Compare that with the 300,000 jobs saved last year by the ARRA education stimulus. Additionally, 53 percent of the 1,479 respondents from 49 states that completed the survey said that their districts will freeze hiring.

"Every 100,000 education jobs lost will be roughly 30,000 jobs lost in other sectors due to the lost spending by schools and those laid off," commented Dr. Lawrence Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute. AASA calculated that, collectively, the 275,000 education jobs will translate into more than 82,000 job cuts in other sectors, bringing the total job loss across sectors to 357,000.

Meanwhile, AASA said more than 48 million students will register for school this fall.

AASA's Ellerson said typical state and local recovery from a recession lags federal recovery by 12 months. But the severity of this recession will result in at least an 18 month lag, if not a full 24 months.