Ouch

It has happened. The thing that those of us in education dread. It's the "P" word--proration. Today, our illustrious *said with sarcasm* governor officially declared proration. The number originally given was 12.5%, but after he withdraws half of the Rainy Day Fund, the actually rate is at 9%. That is still NOT good.

A lot of people outside of education don't understand what proration really is. Proration happens when revenue falls short of what is expected. Budgets are set according to projected revenues, so when those revenues are less than projected, cuts have to be made somewhere.

So, what does that mean for our students? For this year, there can be no reduction of teachers--contracts must be honored, but if there isn't an improvement in the economy, there could be a lot of non-tenured teachers let go next year. Many of the programs that our state has implemented, such as the Alabama Reading Initiative and the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative, could be cut. Those programs have done wonders for students. Non-certified personnel could lose their jobs. So much of the day-to-day operation of a school is dependent upon the non-certified personnel--secretaries, custodial staff, aides.

It's a scary time for anyone in education, and any person who has a child in the public school system should be concerned. Every system in the state will be affected. Some will feel the effects a little more than others. When a system is struggling anyway, and then they lose 9% of their funding...well, you do the math.

Let's hope that our economy improves soon. It is the kids in our schools who will ultimately suffer.