thewarriorpost
AISD budget shortfall explained Victoria Chowdhury • News Editor Why is AISD going through this budget crisis?
ISSUE FOUR APRIL 7, 2011 MARTIN HS ARLINGTON,TX
We are going through a recession, and the state has not increased school funding since 2006. Texas has contributed $3.1 billion from the state “Rainy Day” fund. The district also has a Rainy Day fund to help the district through this time, though the school board has not yet voted on how much, if any, will be used. While the district currently has a healthy fund balance, they also have a deficit budget and has been dipping into the fund since 2006. District leaders believe that it is not wise to continue using the fund balance to pay for the costs.
How much debt is the district in? AISD has roughly a $10 million deficit. Add the state’s lack of funding, and it becomes about $38 million.
What are possible outcomes? Some possibilites are across-the-board layoffs including cuts in central office, reduction in insurance contributions, hiring and salary freeze, possible stipends taken away and larger class sizes.
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What programs are being cut, if any? How many teachers and administrators are being cut? The plan announced March 29 stated the following: Programs being cut are
the Success program, student affairs department and drug free programs. They are cutting six high school assistant principals, eliminating guidance techs, eliminating a receptionist at each secondary campus and two kindergarten teaching assistants per elementary campus.
What’s happening at Martin? We are losing one assistant principal, a guidance clerk, a receptionist and 18 teachers, though 14 are retiring or resigning and will not be replaced. Each teacher will teach one additional class period for a savings of $4.5 million. The district will delay IB implementation at Martin and Seguin high schools for a savings of $100,000.
Who decides what programs are being cut and the number of faculty and administrators getting cut? Superintendent Jerry McCullough and his staff make recommendations, but ultimately, the School Board decides how many positions will be cut at each campus. Campus administrators will designate which specific employees will be surplused.
How is this going to affect the district overall? According to AISD’s website, “with the devastating reductions expected in state foundation and grant funding next year, we will need to make deep budgetary reductions in all areas.”
What are options for teachers? Teachers can voice their opinions to the Board. Many teachers have campaigned by writing letters addressing their concerns. Some teachers made the drive out to Austin to protest and meet with state and local representatives. Teachers have been wearing blue ribbons to bring awareness to the district’s current situation of losing faculty due to lack of funding.
For more coverage see pages 11 - 14!
Students voice their concerns Government teacher Diana Bradley’s students become directly involved in politics Kate Clemens • Staffer
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he recently announced plan for AISD budget reductions dismayed many teachers, including AP U.S. Government teacher Diana Bradley, as well as other school employees. A couple of days after the budget cut was publicized, Bradley decided to give her AP Government students a chance to influence the political agenda by encouraging them to write letters to Diana Patrick, the representative of the 94th District. “Many of my students are already of voting age, and I thought that this would be a good way to expose them to politics and raise awareness,” Bradley said. “The budget reductions may reduce college financial aid opportunities and may affect the future of most of the high school students, although they may not have realized it.” The students had to write the letters so that Bradley could mail them in the proper moment, right after the budget reductions were made known. Bradley also gave the writers some suggestions on how to construct a professional, persuasive letter to a political representative. Here is a sample of student letters:
“You have been praised for the improvement of education, and I trust you will be able to impact the budget cuts. So, let us disprove Friedrich Nietzsche, who said,‘In large states public education will always be mediocre, for the same reason that in large kitchens the cooking is usually bad.’ I would like the $50,000 spent on a UTA park by the City of Arlington and the $7,000 spent annually to maintain it to instead go towards education.” • senior Abraham Lam “If we cannot be taught the various skills to excel in specific fields, “Martin is an exceptional school that such as in career-based electives, we are lucky to be attending. However, then we cannot be knowledgeTexas education as a whole is lacking able and prepared for the kind of compared to the rest of the country. future each of us carries.” • seInstead of asking for technology grants nior Arooge Iqbal to put televisions in the cafeteria and getting iPads, Promethean boards and document cameras for teachers, the “I have a cousin who is a teacher state should ask for federal grants to in Fort Worth, and I am worried keep teachers employed. The money is about whether or not she will available. We just aren’t using it in the have a job next year. She loves best ways possible.” • senior Anna Liu her job, as most teachers do, and “The people of Texas, I believe, don’t realize that education is a domino effect – one thing affects another and so on – with nothing standing alone. And while education affects almost everyone, other issues such as Medicaid and money for jails should be addressed before diving in directly to education.” • senior Melissa Bandy
it really upsets her to think that our state government doesn’t care enough about education to find a way to save it.” • senior Dillon Dolejsi “The day that government cuts the education budget is indeed a rainy day.” • senior Michael Lau