New Jersey lost 4,700 teaching jobs

State numbers show there were about 4,700 fewer teachers and 600 fewer administrators in New Jersey’s public schools this year compared to the year before.

The employees quit, retired or were dismissed to save money.

The Record newspaper found salaries fell $257 million to $9.66 billion in the past school year, marking the first drop in at least a decade.

The newspaper found the number of full-time teachers with one to five years of experience fell 14 percent. The number of teachers in their first year dipped 32 percent due largely to hiring freezes.

Many long-time teachers also retired last summer. The number with more than 30 years of experience in the classroom fell 18 percent.