My education taught me history repeats itself – but not much else

by Makalyn Kowalik
Student Intern

Last year, Kansas students years Kindergarten through 12^, faced $54 million in budget cuts to their public school system. Just last month an additional $18 million in cuts was confirmed. This sounds extremely familiar considering what is currently happening to the Oklahoma City Public School System, which is facing $30 million in budget reductions.

Hopefully, this financial crisis is not the new upcoming trend for public school systems everywhere, because they are without a doubt causing an uproar in the education community.

These budget cuts are affecting jobs, leaving students without art programs and according to the Associate Superintendent of Oklahoma City Public School District Aurora Lora, “cuts this drastic will no doubt impact the quality of their [the students] education experience.”

When Kansas experienced these budget cuts, it led to a bill that according to Topeka Capital-Journal, “Under the new House Bill 2655, 23 districts will get a small increase in funding, but it won't be nearly as much as schools would have received if the full $54 million had been reallocated.”

Along with this new bill, a southeast Kansas district switched to a four-day week towards the end of their school year in order to make additional savings. The additional $18 million eliminated more than 100 positions, closed down a school and stopped bus transportation. The very last week of the school year was made two days shorter to save $400,000 while still seeking $23 million in budget cuts for their next fall semester.

This is exactly what is happening right now to the Okla. Public schools, although no new bill has been presented to help the loss of funding. In fact, even after months of the cuts being announced, no solutions have been presented. They have, however, not been shy about what they plan on cutting to come to a total of $30 million.

The cuts for the OKCPS district are going to stem from the following:

•Revising school bell times for more efficient bus routes

•Delaying new textbook purchases

•Reducing school intercessions from five days to three days

•Eliminating all funding for student testing (PSAT/SAT testing, AP and IB testing)

•Reducing elementary school supply budgets

•Shifting eligible expenses between funds

•Delaying athletic equipment & uniform purchases

•Reducing adjunct coaching positions

•Reducing contracts with outside vendors

•Suspending non-federally funded travel

•School consolidations: Combining lower level schools with low student population with elementary level schools.

•School calendar alteration: Ending the current school year two days early

•Reorganization of the operation center: This includes cutting 30% of cabinet positions

•25 percent of athletics and art supply budget reductions.

•Declare several properties owned by the District to put on the market and sell.

Students of the OKCPS district are incredibly upset by these cuts and how they will end up affecting not only them, but also their fellow teachers. As student Sophie Trachtenberg of Classen SAS says, “OKCPS, it is up to you to help us through this crisis: to save my education, my outstanding school and the glue of it all, my phenomenal teachers.”

Many OKCPS schools have partaken in walk-outs, leaving their schools to protest the upcoming slash of their budgets. According to the Associated Press, district officials estimate close to 900 students walked out of class on Monday, May 16 at U.S. Grant and Northwest Classen high schools, along with 150 students from Star Spencer High school and another 100 students from Jefferson High School.

Dozens of students from U.S. Grant High School later went to the north steps of the Capitol and chanted, "Save our schools!" and “No ifs. No buts. No budget cuts!” On May 18, this trend continued. Students from Classen SAS marched to the state Capitol in order to protest the budget cuts as well as encourage others to partake in the “Let’s Fix This” movement.

"Let's Fix This" is nonpartisan movement to help people become actively involved with their government – young, old, liberal or otherwise.

These budget cuts, while are detrimental, somehow are bringing OKC together in an astonishing way. Not only have the students become increasingly involved, but they have joined forces to speak up against the state in a poignant and peaceful way.

While it’s easy to place blame on the newly positioned Associate Superintendent Aurora Lora, she too, like all the rest of the OKCPS board members are looking for solutions; and according to Lora, “These are challenging times for us and everyone is making difficult sacrifices to offset the state revenue failure. But our first priority is to the students, and we are doing all that we can to minimize the impact on them.”

So please, Oklahoma and Kansas legislators: minimize the impact on us.

The Gayly – June 6, 2016 @ 7:25 a.m