School corporations across the state aren't the only ones affected by budget cuts for K-12 education. From Ball State education students to school district administrators, people all over the state are finding options for keeping the school doors open.
"When a school district has to cut, more than likely, it's not paper clips that are cut or rubber bands," said Mark Burkhart, chief financial officer for Muncie Community Schools. "It's people."
Jason Young, a sixth-grade teacher at Muncie's Northside Middle School, said he applied for Ball State's elementary education master's program to help add some security to his position.
"Im getting my MA because I made it a goal when I began teaching reading," Young said. "Pardon the cliche, but I believe the best ‘job security' is being an awesome teacher. Seeking knowledge and perfecting your craft is all part of it. Some teachers go to conferences,This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their Floor tiles . some get MA's and some pick it up as they go along. In the end, if your students are learning, it's going to be hard for a school to let you go."
The number of Indiana's public school teachers has dropped by almost 4 percent in the past three years. The drop resulted from the tax caps made by Gov. Mitch Daniels in an effort to balance the state's budget, about half of which goes to K-12 education.
"One of the downsides to all of the tax revisions is that entities like public schools, libraries and government that are all property tax-based are going to feel the pinch," said Deborah Feick, a special education teacher at Muncie Central High School. "I think that Gov. Daniels has attempted to put that on a back burner and now his hand is forced with the financial cutbacks.If any food Ventilation system condition is poorer than those standards,"
While she doesn't feel her job is in jeopardy because of federal requirements to maintain a staff of special education teachers, Feick said some Indiana teachers are feeling threatened with unemployment.
"A lot of new hires [are facing the cuts], which is really sad because a lot of those teachers are our brightest and sharpest and most energized .If so, you may have a cube puzzle ... Muncie hasn't had to do that, so we've been really fortunate."
The budget cuts can still make the job search more daunting for college students pursuing degrees in education who are banking on getting jobs in the field after they graduate.
"It's scary," senior elementary education major Sarah Quinn said, "But even if you can't find a job right when you get out of school, I feel like education degrees are so versatile you can use it to find a different job somewhere."
Kendra Meade, senior elementary education major, agreed. She said she plans to graduate with a concentration in reading and said she doesn't regret her decision to pursue a degree in education.
"I'm still happy about it," Meade said. "There's not any other major I'd want to do."
Not all prospective teachers are as optimistic. Enrollment in the Teachers College decreased 8 percent between Fall Semester 2010 and Fall Semester 2011, from 1,491 to 1,369 students, according to an Associated Press report. This decrease is similar to those recorded at other learning institutions around the state and reflects a public awareness about the death of jobs.
Del W. Jarman and Lori G. Boyland, both assistant professors of educational leadership, conducted a study, "The Impacts of Budget Reductions on Indiana's Public Schools," in June.
More than 125 school corporations participated in the study, which reported a total of 1,135 teaching positions cut since 2009. Nearly 450 of those were elementary school teachers and almost 500 of the jobs cut were those of high school teachers. The rest were fine arts teachers, guidance counselors and "media specialists," according to the study.
Muncie schools, like other districts around the state, are dealing with budget cuts for K-12 education. While the number of teachers around the state continues to drop, Muncie officials said they're better equipped to handle the cuts because they've been gradually cutting back for some time.
"We've been pretty aggressive for several years in reducing our expenditures by reducing our spending levels," Burkhart said. "Many schools have been closed – 25 – but six of those facilities are being used by MCS for other things."
As 2009 came to a close, more than 300 already-struggling school systems around the state were bracing themselves for severe budget cuts — $300 million — in an effort to keep the Indiana budget in the black, and those cuts are continuing into this year as well.
Indiana isn't alone. Thirty-three other states have also cut funding for K-12 education, and many more have cut services like health care, assistance for the elderly and disabled, higher education and other areas, according to a report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, an organization focusing on policy programs affecting low to middle-income Americans.
The primary side effect of fewer teachers is larger class sizes. Boyland said her experience as a teacher, administrator and her 16 years as principal in several school corporations throughout Indiana has given her some first-hand insight.
"I know what it's like to have 25 students one year and 33 the next year, and I know how much I can give to all of my kids, and I know there's not as much of you to go around when you have [a larger class]," she said.
Burkhart said class sizes in Muncie have risen, but not enough to really impact the students. For MCS, the minimum class size is 10 students and the larger classes range throughout the mid-20s. Administrators find the smaller classes necessary, especially when it comes to advanced placement classes.
Schools are combining classes that have similar topics or subjects, such as differing levels of the same language courses, to meet the required 10 students.
Burkhart said the administration would rather not combine different level courses and that there isn't enough data to confidently conclude the effects of larger classes on student performance.
"It would be very hard to blame poor test scores on class sizes with the data available now," he said.
Mike Reuter, chief financial officer for Hamilton Southeastern Schools, said the district has grown by 2,400 students in three years,the worldwide Hemorrhoids market is over $56 billion annually. but only six teachers have been hired in that time.
"Under normal circumstances, you figure 2,400 students divided by about 25 per classroom, which is what you'd like, we'd hire 96 teachers," Reuter said. "So, obviously, that's a huge gap."
Reuters said teachers weren't the only ones whose jobs were in jeopardy. Staff members,An Wholesale pet supplies of him grinning through his illegal mustache is featured prominently in the lobby. such as custodians, were cut as well, which resulted in custodians needing to clean larger areas to compensate for school districts not having the funds to hire more people to do the work.
Sometimes cutting jobs isn't enough to accommodate the funding loss, and some districts are closing schools as a result.
Other districts have started cutting programs. Many have dropped physical education and fine arts, along with elective classes for high schools. Some are going to a pay-for-play system where student athletes are paying hefty fees to play sports.
Franklin Township schools have even cut free transportation to and from school, forcing parents to drive their children or carpool if they can't or won't pay the fees for bus service. Because of this, the parking lots of several Franklin Township schools were in gridlock for the mornings and afternoons of the first days of school. Less than a month ago, Mount Vernon schools also cut transportation.
Burkhart said this may only be the beginning of the list of schools cutting transportation.
"That may be the direction we all go," he said. "Unless there's some relief from the state, I think we're all going to be dealing with that kind of issue."
Reuter said whether schools will continue to lose funds depends on the economy.
"Even with the budget being set for next year, sometimes the money coming in goes down, and you experience mid-year cuts like we have, and that makes it much more difficult," he said.
"When a school district has to cut, more than likely, it's not paper clips that are cut or rubber bands," said Mark Burkhart, chief financial officer for Muncie Community Schools. "It's people."
Jason Young, a sixth-grade teacher at Muncie's Northside Middle School, said he applied for Ball State's elementary education master's program to help add some security to his position.
"Im getting my MA because I made it a goal when I began teaching reading," Young said. "Pardon the cliche, but I believe the best ‘job security' is being an awesome teacher. Seeking knowledge and perfecting your craft is all part of it. Some teachers go to conferences,This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their Floor tiles . some get MA's and some pick it up as they go along. In the end, if your students are learning, it's going to be hard for a school to let you go."
The number of Indiana's public school teachers has dropped by almost 4 percent in the past three years. The drop resulted from the tax caps made by Gov. Mitch Daniels in an effort to balance the state's budget, about half of which goes to K-12 education.
"One of the downsides to all of the tax revisions is that entities like public schools, libraries and government that are all property tax-based are going to feel the pinch," said Deborah Feick, a special education teacher at Muncie Central High School. "I think that Gov. Daniels has attempted to put that on a back burner and now his hand is forced with the financial cutbacks.If any food Ventilation system condition is poorer than those standards,"
While she doesn't feel her job is in jeopardy because of federal requirements to maintain a staff of special education teachers, Feick said some Indiana teachers are feeling threatened with unemployment.
"A lot of new hires [are facing the cuts], which is really sad because a lot of those teachers are our brightest and sharpest and most energized .If so, you may have a cube puzzle ... Muncie hasn't had to do that, so we've been really fortunate."
The budget cuts can still make the job search more daunting for college students pursuing degrees in education who are banking on getting jobs in the field after they graduate.
"It's scary," senior elementary education major Sarah Quinn said, "But even if you can't find a job right when you get out of school, I feel like education degrees are so versatile you can use it to find a different job somewhere."
Kendra Meade, senior elementary education major, agreed. She said she plans to graduate with a concentration in reading and said she doesn't regret her decision to pursue a degree in education.
"I'm still happy about it," Meade said. "There's not any other major I'd want to do."
Not all prospective teachers are as optimistic. Enrollment in the Teachers College decreased 8 percent between Fall Semester 2010 and Fall Semester 2011, from 1,491 to 1,369 students, according to an Associated Press report. This decrease is similar to those recorded at other learning institutions around the state and reflects a public awareness about the death of jobs.
Del W. Jarman and Lori G. Boyland, both assistant professors of educational leadership, conducted a study, "The Impacts of Budget Reductions on Indiana's Public Schools," in June.
More than 125 school corporations participated in the study, which reported a total of 1,135 teaching positions cut since 2009. Nearly 450 of those were elementary school teachers and almost 500 of the jobs cut were those of high school teachers. The rest were fine arts teachers, guidance counselors and "media specialists," according to the study.
Muncie schools, like other districts around the state, are dealing with budget cuts for K-12 education. While the number of teachers around the state continues to drop, Muncie officials said they're better equipped to handle the cuts because they've been gradually cutting back for some time.
"We've been pretty aggressive for several years in reducing our expenditures by reducing our spending levels," Burkhart said. "Many schools have been closed – 25 – but six of those facilities are being used by MCS for other things."
As 2009 came to a close, more than 300 already-struggling school systems around the state were bracing themselves for severe budget cuts — $300 million — in an effort to keep the Indiana budget in the black, and those cuts are continuing into this year as well.
Indiana isn't alone. Thirty-three other states have also cut funding for K-12 education, and many more have cut services like health care, assistance for the elderly and disabled, higher education and other areas, according to a report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, an organization focusing on policy programs affecting low to middle-income Americans.
The primary side effect of fewer teachers is larger class sizes. Boyland said her experience as a teacher, administrator and her 16 years as principal in several school corporations throughout Indiana has given her some first-hand insight.
"I know what it's like to have 25 students one year and 33 the next year, and I know how much I can give to all of my kids, and I know there's not as much of you to go around when you have [a larger class]," she said.
Burkhart said class sizes in Muncie have risen, but not enough to really impact the students. For MCS, the minimum class size is 10 students and the larger classes range throughout the mid-20s. Administrators find the smaller classes necessary, especially when it comes to advanced placement classes.
Schools are combining classes that have similar topics or subjects, such as differing levels of the same language courses, to meet the required 10 students.
Burkhart said the administration would rather not combine different level courses and that there isn't enough data to confidently conclude the effects of larger classes on student performance.
"It would be very hard to blame poor test scores on class sizes with the data available now," he said.
Mike Reuter, chief financial officer for Hamilton Southeastern Schools, said the district has grown by 2,400 students in three years,the worldwide Hemorrhoids market is over $56 billion annually. but only six teachers have been hired in that time.
"Under normal circumstances, you figure 2,400 students divided by about 25 per classroom, which is what you'd like, we'd hire 96 teachers," Reuter said. "So, obviously, that's a huge gap."
Reuters said teachers weren't the only ones whose jobs were in jeopardy. Staff members,An Wholesale pet supplies of him grinning through his illegal mustache is featured prominently in the lobby. such as custodians, were cut as well, which resulted in custodians needing to clean larger areas to compensate for school districts not having the funds to hire more people to do the work.
Sometimes cutting jobs isn't enough to accommodate the funding loss, and some districts are closing schools as a result.
Other districts have started cutting programs. Many have dropped physical education and fine arts, along with elective classes for high schools. Some are going to a pay-for-play system where student athletes are paying hefty fees to play sports.
Franklin Township schools have even cut free transportation to and from school, forcing parents to drive their children or carpool if they can't or won't pay the fees for bus service. Because of this, the parking lots of several Franklin Township schools were in gridlock for the mornings and afternoons of the first days of school. Less than a month ago, Mount Vernon schools also cut transportation.
Burkhart said this may only be the beginning of the list of schools cutting transportation.
"That may be the direction we all go," he said. "Unless there's some relief from the state, I think we're all going to be dealing with that kind of issue."
Reuter said whether schools will continue to lose funds depends on the economy.
"Even with the budget being set for next year, sometimes the money coming in goes down, and you experience mid-year cuts like we have, and that makes it much more difficult," he said.
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