Expensive Work

Amidst an economic recession, every state government in the country has been forced to cut back in some places in order to stay afloat, Kansas included. Education was one area that Kansas legislature instituted budget cuts, and every school across the state has seen the effects of this, primarily through staff cuts.

“We’re trying to stay away from the classroom as much as possible,” Shawnee Mission School District budget and finance manager Tim Rooney said.

SMSD began cutting their annual budget in the 2008-2009 school year, because of Kansas state education cuts, which are increasing each year.

“They don’t have enough resources at the state level, so they’re cutting our budgets, so we are having to cut what we’re spending,” Rooney said.

Another effect besides loss of staff due to these budget cuts has been limited supplies for teachers. Many teachers have seen shortages in some of the supplies that they are using in classrooms, and have been forced to make do or find other ways to get what they need, including use of personal finances.

“To be honest with you, we spend money,” Spanish teacher Rosa Detrixhe said. “We teachers spend money, on extra stuff that we need for the classroom.”

Here’s a look into some of the different methods teachers have for getting necessary supplies when they are scarce or not provided by the district.

BIOLOGY SUPPLIES

Throughout the past month, many of the IB Biology 2 students at East have been looking wherever they can, under rocks, in gardens, and even in between cracks in sidewalks, hoping to find some lone rolly pollies crawling around. Due to the tight limit on the biology department budget, bio teacher Kimberly VanNice has opted to let the students collect the bugs for their lab instead of buying them like they did last year.

“Last year we lost our money at semester,” VanNice said.

With this in mind, the biology department is being cautious and only spending on the necessities.

The environmental education department was one of the science departments that did not get their budget cut at last year. However, because of the huge animal collection that East boasts, the money provided by the district is not enough to pay for everything needed to maintain the animals. Environmental education teacher Jim Lockard has students run the snack bar at home football games to make up the difference.

Funds are used to buy pet food, bedding, cleaning supplies, toys, and anything else that the animals need.

In the biology department, the funds go mainly for lab equipment and supplies. When lab supplies run out, teachers are forced to find alternatives.

“Sometimes, with less money, I can’t get the [lab] kits, so we do the computer labs instead,” VanNice said.

With rolly pollies costing a dollar a piece, VanNice is glad students were able to collect them so that they can complete a successful rolly pollie lab.

TISSUES

One of the most universal problems created by the new district budget cuts has been the issue of Kleenex. Every student who has come to school with a cold knows that Kleenex are not a “luxury” to a classroom; they are a necessity. Teachers have tackled this problem in a variety of ways. Some simply suggest bringing in a box, while others offer extra credit, which is technically not allowed since Kleenex are not one of the items on any of the class supply lists.

“I think it’s fine if kids bring some Kleenex in because they sure use a lot of it, but it can’t be attached to a grade,” English teacher Bill Boley said.

Despite the incentives for students to bring them in, most teachers end up running out of Kleenex and using toilet paper by mid-winter, unless they find other ways to bring it in.

“Lots of times I’ll buy it myself,” English teacher DeBe Bramley said.

Departments have always been responsible providing Kleeenx for their classrooms. Most have a certain amount of money that they are given to spend on supplies each year. This money is where Kleenex have come from, but as this budget has gotten smaller, some departments are choosing to spend money on other, more important items.

This leaves teachers with a choice: get Kleenex from students, buy it themselves, or resort to toilet paper.

ART SUPPLIES

With all the supplies that the budget is responsible for, many departments do not prioritize art supplies as an important resource for learning, especially when there are things like textbooks that are falling apart. As a result, most of the teachers who want to include art projects in their classes buy the materials themselves. One teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, buys markers and colored pencils in order to include activities from past curriculum, such as writing short stories.

“I don’t want to change the curriculum and sacrifice student’s understanding of a concept because we don’t have enough money to do the activities. I think it is unfair to the students,” the teacher said.

The art teachers do not face this problem because in order to take an art class, students must pay an art fee, which pays for the art supplies of the class they are taking. For other teachers who want to use district money for art supplies, they are required to either apply for a grant from the district or use their own financial resources.

GYM EQUIPMENT

Gym teacher Debbie Ogden uses her own finances for many of her specialized classes, such as gymnastics and dance.

Throughout the years, Ogden has purchased many CD players, along with all the music that she uses. She also buys special types of balls for the games that the students play.

She says the district provides her with money for equipment, but not nearly enough.

“I try to use our equipment as long as possible, because I know that the budget has been cut,” Ogden said.

A big expense for Ogden is batteries for the CD player she uses in her gymnastics and dance classes.

“The district can supply some batteries but they are not really the heavy-duty kind I need,” Ogden said.

Despite all the out-of-pocket expenses, Ogden thinks that seeing students enjoy her class every day makes it all worth it.