MTHS Budget Funeral
Shelly Kuang
March 18, 2010
Filed under Student Life
Few of us have the chance to live and be a part of history. March 4th, 2010 will forever be remembered as the Day of Action in response to the budget cut crisis schools are facing. On Thursday, March 4, 2010, a mock funeral was held at MTHS to mourn the budget cuts that will harshly affect our students, teachers and staff in the coming years.
The mock funeral protest was a part of a state-wide effort to bring attention to the increasingly devastating cuts in education. This act is meant to help deal with the economic crisis our nation is facing. However, compensating education hardly seems like a good idea. California is the top 93 percentile on education spending. That is, in terms of education spending, California ranks as the 47th state that spends the most towards education. That’s pretty bad. The Elk Grove Unified School District has been required to cut $60 million from school funds. At MTHS, 300-500 of our teachers, our counselors, the library, ROP courses, summer school and sports are to be cut from school activities.
The event started at 6:50 a.m. and adjourned at 8, when students began school and the first day of Term 3 Finals. The procession began in the back of the school, where students marched, and carried 6 caskets representing each of the areas of the designated budget cuts: Teachers, Counselors, ROP courses, Libraries, Summer School and Sports.
As the procession of 80 protestors marched to the front of the school, 24 students and Mrs. Reiger commenced to the sidewalks parallel to Power Inn Road proudly carrying the caskets for the passing drivers to see. Roughly another 20 stationed themselves between Power Inn and the school and another 20 rooted themselves at center of a sea of cars, in front of the library and the rest, along with teachers and staff displayed distaste towards budget cuts at the curb of the school. Throughout the hour, the groups voiced their opinions by chanting “Stop the cuts!”, “Make a Difference!” and “Save our Schools!” .We even had supportive parents honk their cars in unison! And all this was filmed by local news stations and even showed up in the news! Much thanks to all those who participated early in the morning, where it was freezing!
Nobody else knows better than those who didn’t have the chance at education and work back-breaking jobs with meager pay; that education is essential. They are the ones that want to see the next generation become successful because of the education they have. Cutting chances at education is by no means, a civil, national or honorable act. Don’t show the world how we can live without education; show them that we live because of education.
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