What Recovery? Schools Still Reeling From Budget Cuts
September 29, 2014 by twalker
Filed under Featured News, Top Stories
Filed under Featured News, Top Stories
By Janet Rivera Mednik
In Virginia’s Prince William County, buses that once shuttled middle school students home from after-school activities have been parked.The reason? Lack of funding has shut students out from athletics, clubs, and after-school help. Budget cuts over the last several years have made this situation typical, exacting a heavy toll on virtually all American school children, in ways that are both expected and surprising.
The national economy may be rebounding from the 2007 – 2009 recession, but school revenue continues to take a hit. In fact, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says state budgets provide less per-pupil funding for elementary and secondary students than they did six years ago.
Stressed out, overworked, and underpaid educators, paraeducators, and educational support staff personnel know all too well the impact of insufficient funding, but how are American children faring under these conditions?
“Not well,” says Justin Kern, an elementary Special Education teacher in Prince William County—one of the highest income counties in the country. “Over the years, I’ve seen help diminish significantly, particularly [in] the number of teaching assistants and reading intervention specialists assigned to classrooms…and to make matters worse, we don’t have nearly as many parent volunteers as we did when I first started teaching 10 years ago.”
“I think parents are doing what they need to do to keep their families happy and healthy, but many have less time to spend at their child’s school. Students notice—and can pay the price—when fewer adults are available to help them academically,” explains Kern.
Changed Relationships, Responsibilities
Parental support hasn’t decreased everywhere. In Scottsdale, Ariz. Christine Porter Marsh teaches Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors English. She has had a completely different experience with the level of parental involvement after budget cuts. “I’m grateful that I can count on our school’s parent groups and the parents of What Recovery? Schools Still Reeling From Budget Cuts | NEA Today: