Schools everywhere are experiencing
budget cuts and teacher layoffs to a certain extent. The state funding is becoming more difficult for a bunch of local schools in our area, specifically the one I graduated from,
Eldred Central School.
Located in Sullivan County, NY, Eldred Central School has about 700 attendees between the high school and elementary school. My class had 59 kids that graduated in my class which adds a sense of belonging as the relationship with the teachers is exceptional and they really care to reach out and help you.
I recently read an article in
The River Reporter, a local newspaper, regarding the
budget cuts at Eldred and saw the sports program was in question again.
Why "again" do you ask?
When I attended, the sports program was on the chopping block. The budget cuts were close to not allowing us to have a sports program, which many in the high school participated in. Things were a lot different when I attended over 10 years ago.
What is the difference?
Eldred has undergone a huge face lift. There was an addition to the school that was added to accommodate more class rooms like a band and chorus room. This addition has increased the cost of fuel for the school. With having a mild, but cold winter, many residents have faced the same fate because of the rising costs of fuel. In the article, the suggestion of turning the furnace on later instead of 3am would save a little bit of money for the school.
When I attended, any additional college courses offered through Sullivan County Community College were paid by the parents of the students that participated. Currently, the school has that in their budget to offer those classes. This was the same for my siblings if they wanted to attend. It was great to get the classes at a discount and it enticed us to do a little better as we were paying for the credits to transfer to our further college plans.
A suggestion obtained by the reporter for the newspaper was to decrease the bus route to only have one. Currently, Eldred has two bus runs, one for the high school and one for the elementary school. They say by cutting down to one, the bus driver's salary would decrease leaving them more money for the budget. This would, in turn, have all students attending one school again like it was when I attended.
The student body at Eldred has increased and I doubt the building would be able to withstand that many students at once. Then lunch periods would have to be added so the elementary students could eat. I believe that this solution would still add or maintain to the current budget for the additional food and time for lunch staff to prepare double the amount.
Teacher salary cuts were mentioned at the end as an alternative to the budget cuts. To me, this sounds to be more ideal as tenured teachers there are making anywhere from $40,000 to one teacher making over $100,000 a year. This would not be the favorite choice for the budget cuts because teachers do work hard to make sure the students learn, but getting over $100,000 seems to be a bit much for a teaching position.
Fundraising is an option. There are many service companies out there like photographers that work with schools to help them raise funds through portrait and yearbook programs. Having company that has a great fundraising program will help offset the cost of sports programs and will make it so the budget isn't cut.
Donations are a great way to get free money. Alumni are usually willing to help where they can. That is not to say that they are not being bombarded by college donation requests, but I am sure if the school got together a donation volunteer group that called and asked for donations (that are tax deductible) and are told what they are needed for, they would give what they could.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to ask what the Alumni think could help the school. Would they attend an auction where the proceeds would go to the school? Would they attend a ball or black tie affair where half of the ticket money would be donated back to the school? Is a silent auction more their cup of tea?
Another option for the school not to cut sports from the budget is to ask the parents to offset some of the cost of the program they are participating in. This is similar to what they do for youth sports programs and there would not need to be so much covered by the budget.
It is inevitable that jobs are being cut all over the place. The school budget only can allow for so much and if tenured teachers aren't willing to receive a pay cut, upcoming teachers suffer getting the necessary experience or are forced to teach at a school not in their town.
Sports allow for students to come out of their shell. A student who wouldn't normally shine through academics, has the opportunity to perform at his or her best. The incentive to play sports means they have to work harder to keep their grades up and then they become a wonderful all around student. Cutting them from the budget allows for much upsetting, but I believe there are ways to help with budget cuts if administration would just think outside the box a little.
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Please note, as always, these are strictly my own opinions and are not associated with any ideas from others. Just my interpretation.
