HARRISBURG — A bill that would make it easier for Pennsylvania’s public school districts to lay off teachers as a cost-cutting move won the approval of the state Senate on Wednesday, as districts across the state struggle to absorb what could be a substantial loss of state aid in the coming school year.

The bill was approved, 38-12, and was sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Under the bill, state law would change to allow school districts to lay off teachers and other professional employees to control costs. Currently, that is not among the reasons school districts are allowed to make such layoffs.

In addition, the bill would reverse state law to allow districts to lay off teachers without regard to seniority, but only under certain circumstances that include a teacher whose two most recent consecutive performance ratings were unsatisfactory.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon, said it is necessary to give cash-strapped school districts the flexibility to balance their budgets.

“If anyone here thinks schools’ problems are bad now imagine just how bad they will become if we don’t give them the flexibility to control their costs through furloughs, just like every other employer, public and private, is able to do except school districts,” Folmer said. “Entire buildings will be closed, entire programs will be eliminated, and citizens will be at the doors of this Capitol with pitchforks.”

However, Sen. Andrew Dinniman, D-Chester, said the bill will not accomplish the goal of ensuring the best teachers remain in classrooms because the state has no meaningful system of teacher evaluation.

Many of the state’s school districts, particularly the poorest ones, are preparing to raise taxes, lay off staff, end programs or close buildings to absorb expected cuts in state aid. Under Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, some districts stand to lose more than 20 percent of their state aid for classroom instruction, tutoring, full-day kindergarten and other purposes.

The Pennsylvania School Boards Association said it did not support the bill because it would limit the repeal of teachers’ seniority rights during furloughs, spokesman Steve Robinson said.

Under current law, school districts can lay off teachers if enrollment declines, part of a school curriculum is eliminated, a school building is closed or a district merges with another.

Wythe Keever, a spokesman for the state’s largest teachers’ union, the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said furloughs are going on in almost every district in the state.

The school boards association also listed dozens of other districts where teachers, school staff or administrators are accepting a pay freeze in the upcoming school year.