State school officials have released data showing school districts have cut more than 2,000 jobs over the past school year, leading Democratic legislators to question whether reforms passed and supported by Gov. Scott Walker, such as limiting collective bargaining for public employee unions, are working.

The 2011-13 biennium budget under Walker made “historic” cuts to education, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction said in a statement. Even though student enrollment is relatively stable throughout the state, an estimated 2.4 percent of full time teaching staff was eliminated this year.

According to the statement, 2,132 teachers and staff were laid off, a 50 percent increase in losses from the 2010-2011 school year. The majority of cuts were made to teachers rather than staff, with the largest reductions in librarians, career and technology educators and reading teachers. The cuts will affect the Milwaukee, Kenosha and Janesville school districts the most, which are three of the largest school districts in the state.

Walker’s education cuts were not as extensive in the 2011-12 school year because reductions were offset by $82.3 billion in federal funds, according to a statement by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. However, this money will not be made available the 2012-13 school year.

The cuts to teaching positions have sparked outcry from Democratic legislators, who claim schools will decline in value as a result of Walker’s education budgeting.

In a statement, Rep. Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, said Walker’s $1.6 billion cut to public schools and $300 million increase for voucher school funding will lead to larger class sizes and cuts to services, in addition to teacher layoffs.

Rep. Kelda Helen Roys, D-Madison, said Wisconsin schools have been tremendously hurt over the past year.

“The massive cuts combined with shifting resources and the attacks on teachers and other education professionals have made it very difficult for us to care about our schools,” Roys said.

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, also expressed concern about the cuts. He said the data confirms the fears Democratic legislators had about the cuts last year.

However, Cullen Werwie, spokesperson for Walker, said in an email to The Badger Herald the governor is standing by his reform measures and said the Department of Public Instruction’s figures are further proof his policies have been effective.

“Gov. Walker’s reforms protect property tax payers and improve education for Wisconsin schoolchildren,” Werwie said.

He also said Walker’s reforms led to the “least number of school districts increasing class sizes in the past decade, the smallest reduction in extracurricular activities in the last decade and less student fee increases than any other year in the last decade.”

The Milwaukee, Kenosha and Janesville districts will be the most affected because they did not utilize provisions set forth by Walker’s Act 10, Werwie said. By refusing to mandate employee contributions to health care and pension programs, these districts were forced to make cuts, he said.

Smaller class sizes are possible with Walker’s plan, but this requires educational reform and a desire to put the needs of students first, he added.