Budget cuts hit home

Related Content

Last 5 stories in News

• East Meck reaches France
• Homecoming for a cause
• SAT cheating scandal causes controversy
• Sanitation at East
• Social media in the classroom

Other stories that might interest you...

• Exam policies cause outrage
• I miss the Old Days
• Recession hits students and teachers
• New policy permits drug dogs at school
• Keep East Meck Strong!

Gabby Reed
May 26, 2010
Filed under News, Top Stories

In the most recent and close hitting sign that the economy still has plenty of recovery to go, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board continues to debate the effect of budget cuts on next year’s school system.

            At the school board meeting on May 11^th, members of the board outlined one of the key effects of next year’s budget: more teacher layoffs. However, the school board did not stop with 500 teachers receiving pink slips, AP an IB exams will have to be paid for by the students taking them, as well as the elimination of CMS-TV. CMS superintendent Peter Gorman indicated that close to $78 million will be slashed for the 2010-2011 school year.

            Cutting teachers will mean increasingly larger class sizes which will dramatically affect the specialized attention needed by students in more difficult classes as well as students just struggling to get by.  Besides the obvious effect on students—larger class sizes, less individual attention—senior Wesam Alyateem pointed out the negative atmosphere this generates for teachers.

            “Hundreds of teachers will be out of work, and it will be really difficult for all these teachers to find jobs other than the one they love, which is teaching,” he said.

            At the May 5^th school board meeting, several East Meck students and faculty attended the meeting to voice their opinions, including teachers Larry Bosc and Gariann Yochym, as well as senior Jean-Patrick Grillet.      

            Another significant change being proposed is a cutback on middle school and high school sports. One proposal would require students to pay $50 to play on a team in middle school, and $100 in high school. The budget could also completely cut middle school golf, baseball, soccer and softball, and add $1 to the spectator cost of all high school athletic events.

            The final vote of 6-3 will hurt students and teachers long past the initial cuts and big class sizes. What has yet to be seen is how these changes will affect students once they leave these hallowed halls.

            “CMS seems to be so preoccupied with statistics and numbers that all they care about is looking good in graphs,” explained senior Rushi Gajjar. “And this has caused them to lose sight of what’s important with education, that it’s important to foster youth who will bring a brighter future for the world.”