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Ice ice budget
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Governor Chet Culver has recently put into act a budget freeze that will cut 1.5 percent across the board. Cutting around a total of $3.3 million in schools districts across the state.
Principal Douglas Wheeler finds budget cuts unfortunate but logical, since schools have the biggest budget in the state. He said the cut does not indicate a lack of concern for the education system.
“They try to look at things long term by having good schools it will lead to having good businesses, and good people to work at the businesses.” Wheeler said.
Some effects of the budget freeze are felt almost immediately while others are felt for years after. The effects of this freeze will be happening gradually over this year and the next.
Drama department head Chelsea Cunningham and other teachers are beginning to cut back this year. Unable to take school transportation for field trips due to lack of funds, they turn to carpooling to make the trips.
“Because the economy is the way it is and it affects the budget for all programs we’re taking measures to preserve as much as we can,” Cunningham said.
85 percent of the budget is spent on salaries and compensation for school employees. One million dollars is only enough to cover 30-40 teachers.
Students are finding their own ways to raise money for things they want to do, like dances and sports. Each student group does different fundraisers; some sell candy while others sell raffle tickets. This helps their group be able to buy what they need to make their activities enjoyable.
Tracie Adam has a child that attends a Des Moines public school. She said she finds the cuts the that the governor has made absurd. She said she felt education was cut too much in proportion to other areas of spending.
“It doesn’t make sense; they expect students to go to school and learn, but how are they going to do that when class sizes are already too big and there’s already not enough books to go around,” Adam said.
Although the school is cutting back, Wheeler said he does not see programs being cut next year. He said that staffing contracts have not yet been negotiated, which leaves only 15 percent of the budget available to make adjustments this year.
With schools cutting back on money spent, it is the principal’s job to figure out how to decrease the amount that his or her school is spending while still keeping books on the tables and teachers in the classrooms.
“It really forces you to be creative,” Wheeler said. “I think it forces everyone to look at what we spend money on.”