It has already been a crazy week for me at work. Both days this week have seen me heading home at 5:30 instead of 4:00, like I’m supposed to. The reason is the long discussions I’ve ended up having with Media and Technology staff about the future.

The school district is in the midst of budget cutting (again!) and that is driving everyone crazy. If the cuts go on as they are currently planning, it is definitely going to impact how I do my job and to some extent what my job is. Some of the proposed cuts impact staffing for audio/visual support, Technology Education, and of course our Tech Levy money. I’ll be curious to see how it all pans out, but it isn’t too encouraging at the moment.

The frustrating thing about it is that we’re in this position because the money the state and federal governments provide for school districts don’t keep up with inflation. With costs going up 3 to 4 percent every year and the state only giving us 1 to 2 percent increases, the net result is a budget cut. Meanwhile, the politicians are all patting themselves on the back saying, “Gee — we saved education. We gave them more money!!” What they aren’t saying is that even with their new money, we still have to cut. Very frustrating. Oh well. That’s puplic education in the new millenium.

–Pete