Students' Perspective on Education Budget Cuts

L.A. Youth, a teen newspaper, asked students 15 questions related to budget cuts at their schools, and received over 1,850 responses. From their surveys, they found that acceptable school infrastructure quality lacked in public school bathrooms, desks/chairs, and the heating and cooling system. About 60% of respondents reported having to copy information down by hand because the school could not afford paper to make copies.  50% of respondents reported that there were not enough textbooks for each student to take home.

The most interesting piece of L.A. Youth’s findings revealed a huge difference in the priority of items students and officials believed should be cut.  School newspapers and/or broadcasting outlets, summer schools, and field trips ranked as the top three items from which funding should be cut.  The last three items students believed funding should be cut from are sports, teachers, administrators, and guidance counselors.  These items happen to be most commonly cut first by schools.

Although only 13% of respondents believed the budget cuts affected their ability to obtain the necessary classes required for graduation, these budget cuts (cutting down many programs and teachers) have lowered the number of opportunities and the quality of education available to students.  These cuts, especially in the areas L.A. Youth’s surveys revealed that students believed should be cut last, are affecting students’ college readiness.