Washington Budget Stories

Zahra K.
Pasco, Washington
Unbearable to turn on the TV and see all the teacher bashing

I am starting my 5th year of teaching high school English. I have been the teacher who is at school an hour before it starts and two hours after my contract day ends. I volunteer to help with extracurricular events and professional development within the district. This year, I have put more time, effort, and money into my job because of my new position at a different school. I kept all my receipts for the classroom supplies; I spent well over $300 out of my own money just to make my class look presentable. The grocery size bag of “goodies” that are given to us new teachers just doesn’t cut it.

The part that makes it unbearable is when you turn on the TV and see all the teacher bashing, budget cuts, and suggested educational “reforms.” I have been married a little over a year and it is becoming apparent that even with my husband’s income, we struggle to stay financially afloat with two college loan repayments, rent, car payment and insurance, doctors’ bills, utilities, cell phones, groceries, gas, etc. We cannot afford to buy a house or have as many children as we like because we just cannot afford it.

I have a right to good quality of life, but I feel like others think that teachers somehow do not deserve this. It takes courage to teach. It takes courage to take on the responsibility of educating children. It takes courage to continue doing that which you love in the face of so much adversity.

Steve M.
Yakima, Washington
Every failing school has high poverty levels in its student body

It is frustrating to watch our national leaders try to blame teacher for society’s problems. By 2014, nearly every school in America will not meet AYP. In our state, every school that is in failing status has high poverty levels in its student body. There are no schools that have students with high socioeconomic status and low test scores. Closing schools and firing teachers is not the answer to school reform.

Pam K.
Olympia, Washington
What budget cuts mean for us

Budget cuts mean no elementary PE this year. Budget cuts mean half-time elementary school librarians we see every other time. Budget cuts mean middle and high school share one librarian—she is in each building once every few weeks. Budget cuts mean we had to furlough our professional development days because we’re refusing to work for free.

Natalie B.
Leavenworth, Washington
Special needs kids not getting services they need

I am an exceptional needs specialist in a small rural district. We have lost para time, which equals instructional time for students. These students need assistance to move around the building or for emotional support for mental issues. We need compassionate people to teach exceptional students to help America become a better country.

Karen K.
Everett, Washington
Not even eligible for food stamps

I am an ELL para educator, sole provider, 2 kids and husband (laid off 3 yrs ago) at home. I got cut by 30 minutes a day. I now work 5.5 hours a day and .5 hours as a crossing guard. Our insurance is going up 15% and wages are being cut by 1.5 %. Not even eligible for food stamps. What next?

Kandus R.
Sumner, Washington
Eliminating library media specialists is hurting this generation of students

As a National Board Certified Teacher and a teaching professional with over 20 years of experience, I look for data to drive my decision making. A mountain of research points to the increased performance of students where there is a full-time library media specialist with flexible scheduling and an adequate materials budget. Yet, due to funding cuts, the number of library media specialists is being reduced significantly in schools across the nation. I now serve as the library media specialist in three schools with a total of 1,875 students—too many for one person to provide the support and guidance in information services to which they are entitled. This generation of students will not have the skills in information gathering, analysis, and evaluation necessary to compete in today’s global society.

Jan D.
Gig Harbor, Washington
I am basically implementing crowd control

I now have 29 second graders in my classroom. Thirteen of those students are below grade level in reading. LAP services have been cut dramatically. So, many of them will not get the services they need. We have lost our art specialist and our computer specialist. Several students have behavior issues. I am basically implementing crowd control. I did not go into teaching to do what I am doing.

Danna J.
Wapato, Washington
No geometry or algebra textbooks

We have no geometry textbooks, no Algebra 2 textbooks, and have been told we have to cut printing costs. How in the blazes are these kids going to learn—this is a district with 85% plus receive free or reduced-price lunch.

Cynthia B.
Silverdale, Washington
Classroom reeks of rat urine and fecal matter

I graduated from the high school I’m teaching in nearly 35 years ago. As a career and technical teacher in Family and Consumer Sciences, my goal is to engage students in teaching and learning relevant to trends in today’s society. The room I teach in is substandard—I believe it was last remodeled in the early 1980s. The cabinets don’t hold the larger plates used in today’s restaurants. The sinks are single bin and shallow, which limits student access to industry standards. The radiator is behind the cabinets, so the pots and pans get warm but not the room. I start the school year every fall fighting a rodent problem. They come from the crawl spaces above and below my pantry area—the smell of rat urine and piles of fecal matter over all the equipment is disgusting. Custodians did their best to trap most of the vermin, but I have seen them leaping from the food storage area to the catering equipment.

Cosimo G.
Vancouver, Washington
More administrators hired despite budget cuts

My administration recently cut the Adult Basic Education (ABE) budget by 75%, laid off 13 of 23 part-time ABE faculty, and hired TWO administrators to manage the department. So, to save approximately $100,000 in a $62 million dollar budget, the college has cut access to classes for thousands of taxpaying citizens while hiring TWO administrators to manage the program.

Connie R.
Mead, Washington
No certified librarian even though literacy is a primary focus

I have been in public education since 1974 and I have never before witnessed cuts like these. Each year, it seems we lose more programs; provide support to fewer needy children; are confronted with materials, supplies and photocopying shortages; and, now, even salary cuts. That’s not to mention the rising cost of medical insurance. In the past 4 years I personally have lost two positions in my district: the 4th-6th grade gifted program was cut in half, and then all K-12 librarians were eliminated. We now have para educators running libraries that contain millions of dollars of books, audio visuals, and technology. There is no certified librarian even overseeing our libraries. This in a time when literacy supposedly is a primary focus! It is a crime what is happening to public education, but I believe that certain political forces are actually trying to prove that public education doesn’t work. Well, with all the cuts across all states there is a good chance that this will become true. The only thing that will save education in our country is the many extremely bright and dedicated teachers in our schools. The people I work with are trying their very best to stay upbeat, committed, and focused on providing a high quality of education to the children in their classrooms. This is becoming more and more difficult.

Charles C.
Snohomish, Washington
30 % more students, 2% reduction in pay

This is my 35th year of teaching. I have been given a 1.9% pay reduction by the state legislature and have 30% more students in my second grade class than last year.

Anne P.
Renton, Washington
I have a mental picture of stuffing teachers in a phone booth

I am a credentialed special educator trained in middle school language arts. Basically, I am being asked to do 4 different jobs at once: teach remedial reading to IEP students and Gen Ed peers, teach remedial math to IEP students and Gen Ed peers, teach English as a second language to students who have been in this country for less than one year, and manage a case load of 29 students who have IEP goals and require annual reviews and quarterly goal reporting.

I have a mental picture of stuffing teachers in a phone booth—the district seems to think that by broadening our responsibilities it get “more” from us. I am barely managing to juggle four major preparations each day, but I am most concerned about my students—they have to sit through lessons designed to meet multiple needs when what they need is specific, targeted instruction to prepare them for life outside the school system.

Karen K.
Bellevue, Washington
Inconsistent funding = crisis

My school district had to ask its community last spring for half a million dollars in donations in order to purchase a science curriculum needed this fall. We are in crisis when we have to operate on inconsistent funding.

Amy M.
Pipes so encrusted with rust that water runs red
Lynden, Washington

I teach in a building that was built the same year I was born, 1961. I had to purchase a HEPA filter out of my own pocket because the dust from the decaying building was triggering my asthma; my doctors have had to double the steroids in my inhaler. I worry about how the dust in my classroom will affect the health of my students. I drink bottled water, but the kids drink from the water fountain in my classroom. The pipes are so encrusted with rust and debris that the water comes out red for the first few minutes. Last year, a sink in the girl’s restroom fell completely off the wall.

Our district tried to run a bond, but it failed twice. We are now at 60% free and reduced-price lunch—almost twice that of our other two elementary schools. If help doesn’t arrive soon, I am probably going to look as old as my building. It makes me wonder how much longer I can afford to keep this job that I love and have a passion for.

Katie N.
Poor children not getting counseling they need to learn, stay focused
Seattle, Washington

I work at a Title 1 school where close to 100% of our students qualify for free and reduced-price lunches. Art and music have been cut from our school, technology assistance has been cut from our district in a major way, and now our counselor is only with us 2 days a week. With all that they are dealing with at home, most of our students could use a daily session with a counselor/psychologist session. But now that support is not there, making it incredibly difficult for them to learn and stay focused.

Michael M.
Education cut while Wall Street gives out million-dollar bonuses
Bainbridge Island, Washington

I’m a special ed paraeducator. For the past 3 years I’ve not only been working with my students in the classroom but also volunteering for my district’s budget-cutting committee. We have had to make some really heartbreaking decisions that resulted in cuts in librarians and counselors. Paraeducator hours have been reduced to the point where we are only on campus when students are present, giving us no opportunity to consult with our teachers and other staff or plan effectively. It has been maddening to see education take so many cuts when Wall Street fat cats are taking home million dollar bonuses after the U.S. government bailed out their companies.

Melissa M.
Librarian cut, yet sports network stays
Kennewick, Washington

The district cut out our librarians. They kept one that travels to each school once a week. I work in a primary school and it is an important piece in the literacy puzzle. We now have a para reading a story while students color or draw. No information on library skills is given. They still have a great sports network, though!