Cuts Around the State: End of School Year Edition
As this school year ends, districts around the state are setting next year’s budgets, coping with deep cuts in state funding, and determining what kind of educational opportunities will be waiting for Colorado kids when they return from summer break.
There’s no shortage of information about the devastating effects state budget cuts are having on students. The Great Futures interactive map provides stories, videos and articles about the current and future impact of inadequate resources. Education News Colorado recently compiled data about the “Historic Cuts Hammer[ing] Districts” in the metro area. And newspaper and broadcast outlets continue to cover the unfolding decisions from districts around the state. A recent sampling:
Douglas County parents will now have to pay about $180 annually for a child to ride the bus to their “free” public schools.
Likewise, students in the Adams 12 Five-Star and Woodland Park school districts are expected to pay new transportation fees next year.
Jeffco will cope with state budget cuts in part by shedding 136 jobs:
Jeffco Public Schools would cut 136 employee positions under a proposed budget rolled out May 13 that cuts $14 million over the previous year’s spending.Increased class sizes, higher athletic fees, fewer transportation routes and reduced choices for electives would result from the budget, which was designed in the face of massive cuts in state funding.
Likewise, the Eagle School District will lose 50 positions and Pueblo 60 (city) expects to eliminate at least 30 teaching slots. Meanwhile Monte Vista will join Pueblo 70 (rural) in switching over to a four-day week. Many districts, including the RE-1 Valley district (Sterling), Moffat County, and Douglas County will increase athletic fees or curtail activities to make ends meet.
In the face of unending cuts, some districts, (including Littleton, which has already closed schools and dropped over 200 positions over the past three years), are considering going to their voters for a mill levy increase. If approved, those increases will do a critical service for district kids — preventing deeper cuts. But even a successful mill election won’t be able to reverse the multi-year slide in state support that schools are now enduring.
With the failure of the legislature to put DECIDE on the November ballot, Colorado voters won’t have an opportunity to prevent or reverse cuts for the coming school year. But we can ensure that Coloradans will have a chance in November 2011 to stop and reverse these devastating cuts. Link here to take your stand,
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