Senior: Christie's Budget Cripples West Orange High School

It was a seemingly ordinary day in April when, under the instruction and organization of passionate students, more than 200 of my peers and I walked out of West Orange High School. The protest, in response to Gov. Chris Christie's proposed $820 million statewide school budget cuts, united my school in a way I never thought possible and shattered the stigma of ignorance against adolescents. 

As I walked out of my third period class, without being stopped by teachers (and even encouraged by some), security or administration, I saw signs reading, "Save our art department" and asking Christie, "Where do your drug mules go to school?" Students made speeches calling for the reconsideration of solving New Jersey's economic crisis by cutting programs in the education system and vocalized their concern of losing beloved teachers and substitutes.

Many have wondered what caused students like me to put down Xbox controllers, BlackBerry devices and SAT prep books in order to actively participate in politics. That day marked the first time we were directly affected by an entity that always seemed too hard to grasp and so unwilling to relate to people our age. We didn't want anything taken away from us — even school — and because there was a serious threat from someone so far away, teens like myself were called to arms. 

The fact that the budget crisis became "real," is what I believe led many of my peers and I at West Orange High School to take action. Seeing my mother, a teacher with a master's degree and 30 years of teaching experience, bewildered by the possibility of losing her job, made the crisis almost tangible to me.

Many of my friends took Advanced Placement Biology, a class known for its rigor, under a teacher who almost lost her job due to the budget cuts, despite the high marks her students received on the college credit exams at the end of the year. It took petitions and enraged letters from parents and students alike to bring the teacher back to the school.

Many of our school's most beloved and artistically stimulating clubs have been threatened, as well. The school's literary magazine, "Cobblestone," which provides a virtually uncensored, artistic outlet has been struggling to stay alive, as administration warns it's editors that if membership and distribution does not grow, the program will be cut. Other effects include the threatening of freshman sports, the school's refusal to accept checks and the rising field trip costs. Students can be exposed to and utilized these resources, as long as they can afford to pay for it themselves. 

Amid all of the confusion and anxiety of the budget cuts, there has been a silver lining. Recently, West Orange received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education for more than $850,000 over two years in order to create small learning communities, a change that I, unfortunately, will not be able to experience. Luckily, my school was able to receive such a generous aid from the federal government, providing for a more personalized learning experience for incoming freshmen and curtailing the immediate effects of the $4 million cuts voted for by West Orange residents. 

This initiative, a prime example of the centralization of the American educational system, has placed the responsibility of determining how our educational system should be run in the hands of the federal government, a process known to hinder the creative discretion of teachers in the classroom and turn innovative curriculums into rigid, standardized test focused check lists.

The grant we received involves specific parameters that are to be met in order for West Orange High School to continue to receive more money during a five-year period. If those parameters are not met, the funding will cease, leading my peers and I to wonder what lengths the township's board of education will go to prevent its occurrence. 

As a whole — and from my perspective — it appears that ever since April, the political interest of West Orange High School seniors, and even underclassmen, have drastically increased. In addition, I believe more should be done to ensure that West Orange High does not become a standardized test prep assembly line in the years to come.

The political climate at the high school is ever changing in response to the budget crisis that students largely have voiced their opinion. In retrospect, at least it's brought about a more stimulating alternative to browsing Facebook.