We are all aware of the budget cuts that schools have been facing. The word is that it is going to continue. So as educators we have to find ways to deal with these budget cuts.
What have the budget cuts affected?
The Budget cuts have virtually affected every aspect of Education. It starts with losing resources and limiting copies allowed. That's not too bad. Teachers are resourceful and creative and find ways around a lack of supplies.
Here are solutions to a budget crisis. See if this looks familiar:
- Hiring Freezes
- Increased class sizes
- No more extracurricular
- Scaling back the arts program
- We are eliminating teacher positions
- Adding students to bus routes
- Hiring 2 49% positions rather than 1 full time position (saves on benefits)
- Hiring para-pros in the stead of a teacher
- Eliminating para-pros from other classrooms
- Taking away experience based raises
We are all balancing what is best for the students and what is feasible financially. It is a tight rope that has everyone on the edge. I hear teachers often complaining about the problems that they have to deal with that is often in large part due to the budget cuts.
EXAMPLE
Think about the state of a 5th year elementary school teacher. Her first year she loved her job. She was fresh out of college and had some really great ideas and was ready to make a difference in the world. She has 15 students and they are all so lovely and well behaved. She gets along so well with her fun extroverted paraprofessional. Anytime a problem comes up her administration is right their to help her.
"I made the right choice" she reaffirms herself in her decision to be a teacher.
Fast forward five years down the road and she is no longer so excited about her job. She was laid off two years ago from initial cuts, but has rebounded and secured a job on the other side of town. Her new school is title 1 and did not meet AYP last year. She now has 25 students in her class and 90% are one of the following: ADD, ADHD, Autistic, EBD, or in plain English bad students. The district has eliminated the classroom para-pro position. She is looking at 13 furloughs throughout the course of the year, which means she will make as much as she did her first year teaching. The paperwork that she has got to do is outstanding and can never get the attention of her always in a meeting administrator.
I have heard "This is not helping the students!" a good bit lately.........Duh!
When we get to where we are it is no longer about what is best for the students but what is feasible or possible. What's best for the students is no longer the important issue. We in education are doing what has to be done. There is no good way to get around the budget crisis.
What We Can Do That Will Help- Making Lemonade out of Lemons
Sadly, there is not a whole lot we can do. But here are a couple of suggestions that will help:
- Stay positive!!! I know how hard that must be considering the circumstances but a sour attitude will not help.
- Find external resources. The school is not offering much to help. They are strapped, but there are plenty of resources that teachers have that are never tapped. Look at the resources here at TeacherAde for more ideas. Another place to look is Free Technology 4 Teachers.
- Look at the bigger picture- There is no doubt that times are bad, but remember that they could be worse. We have a lot to be thankful for. We are making a difference and our struggles will be rewarded in due time.
- Stay Informed- Read about trends in education. Educate yourself about what is going on outside of your classroom and more specifically in the administrators office, or in the local board meetings, and in the state and national legislatures. Find a quality blog to follow that you updated.
What issues/problems have you faced with budget cuts? What has helped you deal with these issues/problems?
