Student Perspective: Schools Budget Does Not Meet Needs of Students

I walk into my high school every morning at 7 a.m. When I
go to my desk in my U.S Government class, I have to be careful not to knock
down the four textbooks holding up one of the missing legs. I can’t move
anywhere else because all of the desks in the classroom are taken. If I have a
biology test, I cannot use a textbook to study, because there aren’t enough to
take home. As I struggle to not let the book fall from underneath the desk leg,
I can’t help but wonder if this what they want for the education of our future
generations. To hear that the County Council is overlooking Maintenance
of Effort, the cost per student required for the operation of schools and the
maintenance of the student’s education, is frustrating. Students in Anne
Arundel County are already feeling the pinch of spending cuts, but the proposal
for even more cuts in education is preposterous. Maintenance of Effort should
be the bare minimum for what money should be allocated to education. But, the
County Council doesn’t seem to understand that every dollar taken away affects
my quality of education.

The Founding Fathers shared the belief that our country should be founded on
the principles of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Education is
crucial for me and my peers to pursue happiness in our lives. Is the County
Council forgetting that my generation is the future? Are they forgetting the
quality of education they give me and my friends will be demonstrated in just a
few years? There are many people who don’t have the gift of education, and
unfortunately live a life of poverty. However, in America, youth have the gift
of free education. Education is crucial in securing the future of our country.
Taking away money from education takes away from our country’s future.

On behalf of the students, I urge members of our County Council to reconsider
cutting the valued funding education deserves and requires to provide for
students, society’s future. We, students, understand that the budgeting process
is difficult, especially when running on no money. But, we ask that cuts be
made elsewhere in areas our county can live without. Education provides for a
brighter future. To take away from our education, is to take away from our
future. At what point did education become a secondary priority? We urge you to
reconsider before you affect the future of the many students enrolled in the
Anne Arundel County Public School System.