Athens Oracle
Budget cuts show at AthensSaturday, August 29, 2009 By Rana Odeh
Crowded classes, teacher layoffs and not enough resources are outcomes of the recent Wake County budget cuts. $35.1 million was taken out of the state’s school budget for the 2009-2010 school year. T. Keung Hui of the News & Observer reports increasing the number of students in classes and having a fewer number of teacher assistants will make up $21.7 million in discretionary cuts out of the $35.1 million overall reduction in state funding. Wake county s chool officials accused state leaders of dumping the responsibility for the cuts on local districts to make them take the blame for unpopular choices. Teachers now face difficulties with supplies in the classroom. Teachers have to try to conserve as many resources, such as paper, as they can. Buying a sharpener for Ken Davenport’s social studies classroom is out of the question as a result of cuts in the supply budget. With these tight budget cuts, ADHS also had to cancel classes such as Trigonometry and Sculptures & Ceramics. “This new budget cut has definitely affected my Foods I class,” said Mia Hardy, junior. “The teacher told us that she did not know when we were going to be able to start cooking because the school does not have enough money, which defeats the whole purpose of the class!” The economic downfall has hit schools, including ADHS and caused them to make tough choices. To learn more information on the budget cuts happening in Wake County visit www.wcpss.net and click on “ School Board Balances Budget Following State Cuts ”. |