Post by priyap09 on Nov 7, 2008 23:13:16 GMT -5
Patrick Corrigan, The Toronto Star, 09/15/2008
Major budget cuts both at federal, state and local levels are followed by the declining economy. As illustrated by the cartoonist, education suffered greatly from budget cuts. Two kids, dressed up in their Halloween costume, mistake the school for the “local haunted house.” Both boys have a terrified look on their face, which indicates how shocked they are to find out that the wrecked and demolished building is their school. The artist compares the environment of a school to that of a haunted house. The collapsing building, broken windows, and the limply hanging school bell make the school look like a haunted house which is close to falling apart due to the budget cuts. The spooky trees, uncut grass, dead tress and the silver moon hiding behind a wisp of clouds indicate the horrifying and alarming impact the budget cuts have on the school. Due to the budget cuts, maintenance of the school environment has become a difficult job.
In 2008, Florida committee recommended a $357 million budget cut for education. According to The Orlando Sentinel, that means $310 will be cut for every student in public education system, and 2000 teaching positions will be eliminated. These ghastly figures will have a deteriorating impact on the education system. The cuts also indicate the committee’s lack of concern over the importance of education. Students are the future of this country and should be provided with the right tools to obtain knowledge and success. Most schools are unable to provide the students with necessary resources such as textbooks and other school supplies. Therefore, the teachers are forced into spending their own money to buy the necessities even though their salaries are low to begin with. Entering AP classes, I expected to be provided with the resources necessary to improve my education. However, I was left holding onto a tattered Calculus textbook and sharing one, ripped-apart solutions manual in a class of 20 students. Many elective classes such as physical education, art, and music are being removed from the course selections, making it harder for kids to discover a career in the field of arts. While reducing the budget for education by $4.3 billion, President Bush proposed a significant increase for the military and international spending. Instead of wasting about $3 trillion in Iraq, the federal government should consider providing the states with more money to fund the education system.
