Today, a survey polling 283 New York State school superintendents was released, detailing their feelings on recent school budget cuts.
Their view, not surprisingly, was overwhelmingly negative:
“New York State’s schools absorbed one of the largest aid cuts in state history this year, but the reduction in state support has been going on for three years now and it is clearly taking a toll on school districts across the state,” said Council Executive Director Robert Reidy. “Now schools are being asked to meet higher standards and adapt to a property tax cap. School district leaders across the state are deeply concerned about the ability to continue to meet the educational needs of all students.”
School cuts hurt in a variety of ways:
- Cuts to extracurricular classes mean that students will get little to no exposure to essential classes like art or music. Students that are fortunate enough to still take these classes often have to pay for their own musical instruments and athletic supplies.
- Cuts to afterschool programs mean that students that require extra tutoring may not receive the help they deserve. It also means that high risk kids with nowhere to go after school could end up on the streets.
- Cuts to early-childhood education prevent students from recieving academic stimulation during their first five years, when much of a person’s intellectual development occurs.
- Cuts to advanced placement classes mean that academically gifted students will not receive the curriculum they need to academically thrive.
- Cuts to school staff result in larger class sizes, reducing the amount of indivual attention each pupil gets, sacrificing educational quality and instead merely pushing students through the curriculum (which is already compromised by cuts).
Here is the survey: