During recent years, employment as a public school teacher has changed from being one of the most secure positions in the nation's workforce to one of the most uncertain. Now, in many districts, there is a good chance newly employed teachers will receive a reduction in force (RIF) notice each spring. The number of educators who are RIFed each spring is well known to the public as a result of reports that appear in the local media. Thirty-two public school districts in Maricopa County and Pima County (Arizona) received questionnaires concerning the number of employees RIFed in the spring of 1981 and then a follow-up questionnaire about how many were reemployed by October 1, 1981. A comparison of the number of employees and enrollment during the year a RIF took place and during the following year indicated that the percentage of decline in the number of employees was twice the percentage of decline in enrollment. Maintenance of the previous year's student-certified employee ratio would have made the RIF unnecessary in most of the districts studied. Nine out of 10 employees who were RIFed were rehired by the following October 1 by the district that gave them notice. (Author/JMK)