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GIVE OUR KIDS A BREAK:This is a troubling time forAmerica’s school children,Duringtheir parents and the peoplewho are most intimately connectedwith our public school system.The budget crises in thestates, the worst since World WarII, are causing cutbacks that willhave a negative effect on studentsand schools for years to come.Class sizes will rise if threatenedteacher layoffs occur. Summerschool and after school programs,so important to children who needto catch up, are disappearing,along with music and art. Nurses,hearing specialists, paraprofessionals,and even custodial staffare being slashed.“Public education is the foundationupon which a prosperousnation is built. It creates opportunityfor all children regardlessof class, race or religion. That iswhy the federal government hasbeen actively involved in thepublic education system sincethe earliest days of our country,”explains BCTGM President Hurt.FACTS:the past three fiscal years (FY 2001–FY 2003,which ended June 30), state governments have scrambledto find $200 billion to close record budget gaps. Despite drastic cost cuttingat every level of every state government, the future looks grim: 41 statesare facing a cumulative budget gap of $85 billion for the upcoming fiscal year,according to estimates by the National Conference of State Legislatures.Because most states’ tax laws are tied to federal tax regulations, states losteven more revenue when they were forced to match the Bush Administration’s2001 $1.35 trillion tax cut for millionaires. States also will be forced to matchmuch of Bush’s $350 billion tax cut bill he signed into law a year ago.Children are losing out on education, with some 20 states cutting publicschool funding from kindergarten through grade 12 and many state universitiesand colleges raising tuition and fees.As the states and districtsstruggle with massive budgetshortfalls, they are being hit withyet another financial burden—the federal No Child Left BehindAct (NCLB). The law’s goals arefine: high standards for all children,with tests to measurewhether the standards are beingmet and help for students andschools that are lagging behind.The problem is that federal dollarsneeded to realize these loftyAs school buildings crumble, class sizes swell and educational programs arecut, President Bush continuously proposes policies that impose costly newrequirements on states without providing the new funding needed to meetthem. Additionally, he has failed to provide adequate assistance to help statesavoid deep cuts in education funding in response to their dire budget crises.In pushing the 2001 education reform bill, Bush promised the nation therewould be “no child left behind”—a phrase he co-opted from the Children’sDefense Fund, which works to improve the quality of life for children. Butwhile requiring states to meet costly new standards, the No Child Left BehindAct is sorely underfunded—so much so that Republican state legislaturesacross the nation have considered going without federal funds altogether.goals are woefully inadequate.While President Bush has proposeda budget that exceeds twotrillion dollars, it unfortunatelydoes little to support public education,eliminating 35 programs,cutting or freezing many others,and overall providing just a 2.8percent increase, the smallestincrease in seven years. Perhapsthe most troubling aspect of thePresident’s budget is that itspends 50 times more on additionaltax cuts for the America’swealthiest (top one percent) thanit does on education.A report by the AmericanFederation of Teachers shows initiativesto help students is gettingcrushed amid the states’ budgetcrises. Summer school programsfor struggling students have beencut in school districts in 22 states.Washington must do muchmore. The American public hasrepeatedly said that it wants educationto be one of the highestdomestic priorities. Cutting educationfunding for vital programsthat work and that have helpedto raise student achievement isthe wrong way to go.8BCTGM News