Public schools across the country are funded mostly by the state and federal governments. For the 2021-2022 school year, the percentage of federal funding was 13.7%; this has since decreased to 8% in the past years. With only a small fraction of funding coming from federal programs, this leaves state and local governments to fund the rest. As of recent though federal funding has been shifting away from public schools. Federal administrators believe that these cuts are necessary to help maintain financial stability, but students and teachers think that the immediate effects outweigh the financial benefits.
Thirty-five full or part-time job positions across the district are being reduced. Staff and teachers who have been in these positions for less than 3 years are at risk of being cut. The teachers with the least experience teaching in the district will be the most affected by these changes.
“That’s why last year, when we went through budget cuts, there was a lot of other office staff, social workers, things like that, so that didn’t impact the classroom, but students are impacted because if they’re accessing social workers and utilizing them as a means of support, that’s a support that’s gone this year,” Principal Robert Bach said.
Budget cuts have started to rise in the past few years due to changes in state and federal funding. Last year, there were a lot of changes and shifts that affected staff, as social workers as well as support staff got cut. This coming year, this will start to affect students and teachers, as class sizes will rise.
Next year, Stillwater Area Highschool is implementing a block schedule as a way for students to have access to more class options as well as the ability to increase class sizes. With this change costing around $800,000, it also comes with lots of problems for teachers, as a lack of substitutes forces students to go to alternative areas for class, and teachers will also see a big rise in class sizes, with some classes having around 50 students.
“The sub part, like having to go to the media center, where it might not be as academic an environment. And then also, just like the adjustment from one schedule to another and having to, like, remember what day classes are,” junior Hasle Vogen said.
With changes to the schedules, students are still unsure what next year will look like, and find it hard to have to adapt to a new schedule. Juniors have already gone through many changes throughout high school, with the shift of office hours last year and now the schedule change this coming year.
Jenifer Hoff from Kare 11 explained that there is an estimated $223 million in budget cuts for the 2026-2027 school year.
Jason Rohde, a clay and drawing teacher, shares some news about his experience with budget cuts. “I lost my job for next year,” Rohde said. After being in the district for only a few years, his position was eliminated due to deep budget cuts.
Every year, there are teachers who get removed from their position due to seniority and class sizes. The number of teachers cut has significantly risen this year due to the budget cuts.
Teachers and social positions being reduced, poses a big threat to students’ ability to make connections with staff and access resources that are needed to succeed.
Bach explained the confusion around budget cuts and talks about how the goal of the main office and the staff members is to limit the direct impact on students. He also explains that students will see more people in their classes, and they will be seeing the same teachers, which will increase connections.
Teachers and staff continue to put students’ needs first and will make sure that changes favor students. They will continue to care about students’ interests and wants going forward.
While the school year is coming to an end, staff and administrators work hard to preserve the school community in spite of the budget cuts. Even though a few teachers will not be back next year, students get a chance to reflect on the impact that those teachers have made in their lives. For underclassmen, this is just the beginning of their high school career, while upperclassmen will cherish the memories they made. Students and community members can attend future board meetings to advocate for school funding.
