The recession and the billions of dollars cut from public education have drastically affected public schools and colleges across the United States. Throughout the United States, the crisis has resulted in the closing of schools and libraries, loss of teachers, increased class sizes, fewer support professionals, limited supplies, cuts and elimination of art, music, and other needed programs.

In Hawaii, which ranks near bottom in national achievement, the school year has been reduced by 17 furlough Fridays in which schools will be closed.  The Superintendent, Pat Hamamoto, although agreeing that students will suffer due to less learning time, also said that the schools will try to cram in as much teaching as they can.  Hawaii students will now receive 163 instructional days compared with the 180 instructional days of other schools in the United States.

In the Inglewood Unified School District in Los Angeles County, the district’s new motto is “Do More With Less.”  Many teachers, insulted by the phrase, felt that even before the budget cut they “were doing more with less.”  As one teacher put it, we now have to “Do Everything With Nothing.”

In Los Angeles Unified School District, classroom sizes have increased.  Many schools are looking at no caps on class sizes.  Some students are already sitting on counters due to over-crowding.  Arts and music programs are suffering, and in some schools in United States, the arts have been eliminated altogether.

On the California Teacher’s Association web site, Jena Ritchey from Chula Vista Elementary School District commented on how the budget cuts are affecting her school.   “As the budget has dwindled, school supplies have gotten cheaper and cheaper: the pencils won’t sharpen, the dry erase markers stain the whiteboards….We are not providing the best, safest learning environment for our children. We ‘make do’ and we try to keep students interested and involved in learning, but it’s hard to convince students that education is important when our state doesn’t seem to value it at all.”

In his speech on education, President Obama suggested longer school days and school years to help America’s kids compete in the world.  “The future belongs to the nation that best educates its citizens,” he said. “We have everything we need to be that nation … and yet, despite resources that are unmatched anywhere in the world, we have let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacher quality fall short and other nations outpace us.”

While many do agree with President Obama’s speech, many also feel that the effects of the present budget crisis will not only hurt America’s students, but make it that much harder for them to compete with other nations.

Aba Ngissah is a contributer to Carib Press.