Recession hits students and teachers

Amy Moore
March 17, 2009
Filed under News

   The United States has been in a recession since December 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. This current recession is one of the longest downturns since the historic Great Depression. Students and staff alike are beginning to feel the strain of the recession.

   “I’m concerned that it might be harder to find a job next year due to the economy and unemployment rate,” says senior Tatjana Moffit.

   Not only is the economy impacting personal lives but negative effects are also showing through the CMS plan for staff cuts, which was approved on March 10. Under this plan, certain teachers will not be threatened, such as math and science teachers. Exceptional Children teachers and staff involved with career and technical education will also be protected.

   Gorman has assured the public that no teachers will lose their jobs due to the budget during this year. Unfortunately, as for next year, many teachers still share a concern about how their own job and classes will be affected.

   “I worry about my smaller classes. Since only a few students enroll in them, they may be cut,” says art teacher May Winiarski.

   Other teachers, such as German teacher Abigail Conklin, believe that things will not drastically change.

   “Most of the jobs at East are secure. I teach IB German classes, so I won’t be affected unless changes occur to the IB program,” says Conklin.

   However, there is the evidence of a tighter budget at East.

   “Due to the changes in the economy and budget, our auditorium renovations have been canceled,” says Moffit.

   Many staff and students remain optimistic that this will be the only change. While it may take months to be put in action, President Obama’s economic stimulus package, which will provide as much as $54 billion to school districts and states, will hopefully pull the school system through the hard times ahead.

   While dark times face the school system and the school, many teachers share Winiarski’s belief that the staff will just have to wait and hope that nothing changes until more funding arrives.