As Economy Slumps, Teachers' Jobs in the Cross Hairs

Faced with high energy costs and crimped budgets, school districts have cut administrative positions, bus routes, special services, and athletics programs.

But as economic prospects worsen, the salaries and jobs of teachers are increasingly coming under green-eyeshade scrutiny.

Districts in Alabama and Florida—two states that have been hard hit because of their reliance on sales taxes to finance education—have begun to cap hiring, eliminate staff...