Education Budget Cuts: America’s Future Looks Bleak Essay -- Impact of

Since the 2008 economic recession, public schools have experienced drastic cuts to funding, Paw Paw High School included. With my high school being forced to make curriculum adjustments in order to accommodate its depleted budget, I suffered great shortfalls. Due to the elimination of teachers, I had increased class sizes and no longer received the one-on-one attention in the classroom. Also, the electives that I had looked so forward to taking in middle school were no longer provided once I made it to high school. I am grateful, however that unlike other schools, Paw Paw has not had to implement a four-day school week as a means to stretch budgets as far as possible. I have read that rising costs, depleted emergency federal aid, and reduced revenues are said to be the causes of sequestration’s slashes to K-12 education funding. Advocates say education budget reductions will force schools to budget their funds more effectively, however, America’s future is in jeopardy i f the United States continues to make budget cuts to K-12 education funding. As I had experienced at my high school, there have been countless reports of other students throughout the nation complaining to their parents about the lack of attention they are receiving in the classroom. Resulting from budget cuts, numerous teaching positions have been eliminated. â€Å"With fewer teachers come larger class sizes† (Roza). One case in particular, released to the Huffington Post (â€Å"Larger Class Sizes, Education Cuts Harm Children’s Chance to Learn†), involves an outgoing eight-year-old named Shania. She attends a public school in Queens, New York. She had finished her second grade year as Student of the Month and was excited to start the third grade. One week into the school... ...uts Harm Children's Chance to Learn." Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc., 17 July 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. Leachman, Michael, and Phil Oliff. "New School Year Brings Steep Cuts in State Funding for Schools." Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Matrix Group International, Inc., 7 Oct. 2011. Web. 24 Oct. 2014. Roza, Marguerite. "Breaking Down School Budgets." Education Next Journal 9.3 (2009). Web. 27 Oct. 2014. "School Budget Cuts: How Students Say Slashes Are Affecting Them." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc., 14 Feb. 2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. "Schools Expect Budget Cuts As Economy Sours." NBCNews.com. The Associated Press, 11 Feb. 2008. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. "U.S. Education Secretary Warns that Automatic Budget Cuts Would Hurt Children and Families." ED.gov. U.S. Department of Education, 25 July 2012. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.