Students Speak Up Against Budget Cuts:
By Danielle Baer, Communications & Grants Manager
Last week, hundreds of Garfield High School students in Seattle walked out of class in protest against proposed cuts to education funding during the special legislative session called by Governor Gregoire this month. As a Garfield alum, I was proud to see fellow bulldogs standing up for what they believe in and speaking out against further cuts that are having a real impact on their day to day educational experience.
As we advocate on behalf of young people and providing access to quality expanded learning opportunities, afterschool, youth development and summer programs, we need to remember to listen to youth voice and provide opportunities for their input to be heard. Over the past few years, many people have become desensitized to hearing about budget cuts. What’s another billion in a deficit of trillions? What does it really mean? But when students take to the streets and tell us firsthand what education cuts mean to their lives and their futures, the message resonates in a concrete way and makes a real impact.Just this week, the Children’s Alliance and Washington State Budget & Policy Center released their Kids Count in Washington 2012 report including more data on the persistent achievement gap in Washington State and its disproportionate impact on Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic and American Indian students. Further cutting education is not going to help narrow this gap and provide opportunities for all young people to thrive in school and life.
Over the course of the next few months, we will be supporting efforts to preserve safety net services such as high quality afterschool and youth development programs, food and nutrition programs, health care programs, employing training programs and a strong educational system that prepares children and youth to enter the future workforce. Stay tuned for our 2012 legislative agenda and sign-up for our Washington Afterschool Network email alert system for regular updates and opportunities to take action on budget and policy issues during the 2012 legislative session. As young people take risks and take to the streets, we need to support their actions and speak up to preserve essential services for children, youth and families.
Photos by Joshua Trujillo of the SeattlePI.com.
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