In this morning’s Post, I look at the possibility of layoffs in the New York City public-school system:

MAYOR Bloomberg is pitching substantial teacher layoffs, as many as 15,000 jobs in the school system, as part of a “doomsday budget,” should Albany and Washington not come through with massive rescue packages.

But while a budget crisis provides political cover, Bloomberg should push these layoffs through, no matter what.

Despite the myth that more teachers automatically equal better education - and the United Federation of Teachers’ constant cry of “teacher shortage” - the fact is that New York City actually faces a teacher glut.

Basically, New York City’s school-age population is shrinking, and will be low for quite a while. Meanwhile, we keep hiring new teachers. Things need to even out, especially in this fiscal crisis.

The problem is that if we have layoffs, we’re likely to fire all the youngest teachers (many of whom are bright young teaching fellows). Seniority and all that. I propose a buyout of the city’s worst and oldest teachers.

Sure, the UFT will never agree — such a move would need to come through a negotiation with the obstructionist union. But a reformer can dream, can’t he?

[archive copy of this column here.]