Education Budget Cuts: Beyond the Short-term Effects
By Lindsey Wright
Although the U.S. unemployment rate is steadily decreasing, the decline is slow in pace. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, unemployment has been reduced by 0.8 percent, from a spike of 10.2 percent in October 2009 to the current 9.4 percent. In a time when the country’s need for an educated workforce is at an all-time high, the federal and state budget cuts are hindering the educational system’s ability to fulfill that need. Thus, schools have entered panic mode; educators from kindergarten to college level are scrambling to find ways to soften the blow of the budget cuts. However what is unknown is what effect the continued curtailing of budgets will have on schools.
The continued reduction in educational funding is not surprising. In fact, it began causing a stir across the nation two years ago. Ultimately, the outcome of the budget cuts depends largely on the educators’ response to the reduction in funding. Educators could use the impact of the budget restraints as an impetus for improvement; which could include lowering unnecessary expenditures and evaluating efficiency standards. Unfortunately, schools are claiming they do not have time to make such efforts and have launched into crisis intervention strategies just to stay afloat.
Perhaps the most severe losses generated by the education cuts are the massive layoffs of teachers spreading across the United States. According to CBS News, school districts are continuing to eliminate teaching jobs by hundreds of thousands. Teaching positions are not the only thing the school system is doing away with; various music and art programs, extracurricular activities, technology and related equipment, transportation, school hours, counseling for students and even entire schools are simply being shut down. As a result, The CS Monitor reports that classrooms are becoming more overcrowded, repairs to school equipment remain undone and parents have to foot the bill for classroom supplies. The teachers that have managed to keep their jobs are receiving fewer funds for books, classroom activities and field trips; they essentially have to improvise. As a result, the quality of education students are receiving is declining along with the funding.
Colleges and universities are also being affected by the recession. “Budget cuts are endangering some of the most important foundations of the American dream—the low-cost, high-quality public colleges created to provide anyone with smarts and diligence the training needed to succeed,” says U.S. News and World Report . While students are searching for low-cost education programs, most public colleges are increasing tuition rates, offering fewer courses and minimizing research programs. Students are now even having trouble finding enough courses to fill a full-time schedule, which is required for maintenance of financial aid income. Moreover, the reduction in available courses is hindering graduation rates because students simply cannot enroll in the necessary classes they need to graduate. Low-income students who need continuing education to pursue a career can no longer afford the tuition, even for public colleges, and some are burying themselves in student loan debt merely to become employable.
The school system’s response to the recession has created overflowing classrooms, layoffs and skyrocketing tuition costs for higher education. With the downturn in the economy, it has already become difficult for educated laborers to find and keep jobs. Currently, not only is it challenging to find jobs, but it is also becoming increasingly difficult to obtain the level of education required to apply for them. These factors indicate that the consequences of the federal and state budget cuts will be far greater reaching than the foreseeable short-term consequences. After all, the education of this country’s youth is also its future.
Byline:
Lindsey Wright is a former music tutor and computer repair consultant. She is currently a content creator for OnlineSchools.org (Link: http://www.onlineschools.org/)
Disclaimer: This is a guest post. The contents of this post do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, PBS, or any PBS affiliates, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.
