| All across the country schools are having to | | | | and English. If the books continue to be useable, |
| tighten the belt on their budgets. According to one | | | | why not purchase supplements when necessary? |
| source, more then half the states will have to cut | | | | Other ways we could save money would be to |
| their budgets by thousands to billions of dollars. In | | | | get the teachers and staff members to turn off |
| some cases this means huge layoffs (CA 20,000 | | | | the televisions in the classroom. Do you have any |
| teachers and other staff members). Other areas | | | | idea how many televisions are used as the bell |
| they may do away with or consolidate positions. | | | | and to tell the time? Is that really necessary? I |
| What is happening to our schools? How does this | | | | understand that one television cost over $200 a |
| affect the education of our children? | | | | year to run. Multiply that by how many televisions |
| As a parent and a teacher, I fear for our young | | | | are in each school and you are looking at a |
| people. They may lose the athletic programs, | | | | sizeable amount of money saved by the school |
| music, art and various other special programs. | | | | district. |
| After school programs may be affected, as well | | | | There has been a lot of talk about going green in |
| as, tutoring, books, supplies and teacher training. | | | | this country. How many schools use solar energy? |
| Class sizes could become larger still. More stress | | | | I seem to recall two of the schools that I have |
| will be placed on students, teachers and staff in | | | | taught at had solar panels. But, they only were |
| general to perform. | | | | used to heat the water. How about finding a way |
| What to do? As parents we can do something if | | | | in which schools could rely less on public utilities |
| we become one voice. We need to write our | | | | and more on producing their own energy? This |
| congressman, senator and any and all state | | | | might be a great science project for the students. |
| legislators. We should write a letter to the | | | | Another way to save money for our schools |
| president stating our dissatisfaction with what is | | | | could possibly be a recycle effort. Does anyone |
| happening to our schools. | | | | realize how much schools throw out each year? |
| Not all of these budget cuts are due to what is | | | | The high school I taught at a few years ago, had |
| happening with our economy. Some of this can be | | | | a newspaper recycling program. The only problem |
| blamed on poor management of the money | | | | was that it didn't work very well. The students |
| allocated to the schools. Schools need to be run | | | | placed in charge of picking up the papers often |
| more like a business. After all, they are in the | | | | forget. The janitor staff would throw out papers |
| business of educating our young people. | | | | left in the classroom and the recycling company |
| Why do we spend money every other year on | | | | didn't always pick up on time, leaving papers |
| new textbooks, not everything in those books | | | | blowing around campus. |
| changes year to year. Of course, I wonder why | | | | I'm sure if we put our heads together , we could |
| the cost of textbooks is so high (most are over | | | | come up with ways to help our schools save |
| $100 a piece). Math is a prime example, science | | | | money. |