题目内容：
MakingReading,WritingandRecessionWorkTogether
A．Withbookstuckedneatlyontheshelvesandacomfypurple-dragonruginabackcomernook,thelibraryatSanDiego'sWillardB.HageElementarySchoolistheperfectplaceforchildrentofallinlovewithreading.Sincethestartoftheschoolyear,however,thelibraryhasbeenofflimitstostudents,whogettogothereonlywhen(alreadyoverworkeD．teacherscanescortthemandhandletherecordkeeping."Withallofthecutbackswe'vehadinthelastfewyears,thedistrictcan'tpayforsomeonetohelpcheckoutbooks,"explainsPamWiesenberg,athird-gradeteacherattheschool."Asaresult,thechildrensuffer."
B．Asthenationaleconomycontinuestonosedive,agrowingnumberofpublicschoolshavefoundthemselvesfacingsimilarsituations--andmakingmoreandmorepainfulcutbacks.AdvancedPlacementprogrammes,extrahelpforEnglishlearners,art,musicandsummerschoolcouldbeonthechoppingblockinmanyplaces.Ditto(同上)foref-fortstoreduceclasssize.
C．Thehugefederalstimuluspackageshouldoffersomerelieftodesperatedistricts;theHouseandSenatearehagglingoverversionsthatincludeatleast$80billionforedu-cationprograms,asignificantbumpupfromtheEducationDepartment's$59billiondiscretionary(自由裁量的)budgetforfiscal2008.Butthere'sacatch:abigchunkofthestimulusmoneythatisdesignedtopreventmassiveteacherlayoffswillbeawardedonlytostatesthatspendatleastasmuchoneducationastheydidin2006--atallordergiventhataminimumof42statesarefacingsignificantbudgetgaps.Atleast20stateshavealreadycuttheirK-12budgets.Moreover,evenwiththefederalstimulusmoney,schooldistrictswillstillgetthebulkoftheirfundingfromstateandlocalcoffers,whichhaven'tbeenthislowindecades.AsRandallMoody,manageroffederaladvocacyfortheNationalEducationAssociation,says,"Whenyouhave40stateswithseriousbudgetissuesandthat'swhereschoolsgetthebulkoftheirmoney,naturallythere'sgoingtobeaproblem."
D．BudgetdisastersareperhapsmostacuteinCalifornia.Thestate,themostpopulousintheUS,spendsabout$48billionayearonK-12education,ornearlyhalfitsgeneralfund,whichreceivesrevenuefromavarietyofsources,includingincomeandsalestaxes.Thisyear,however,thedoublehitsofendlesslayoffsandanimploding(剧减的)realestatemarkethasminedthefund,withlegislatorsprojectinga$42billiondeficitbythemid-dleofnextyear.Tohelpbridgethisgap,GovemorAmoldSchwarzeneggerhasproposedshortingschools$2.1billionduringtherestofthisacademicyearand$3.1billionthenext.Hewantstosaveanadditional$1.1billionbyreducingthenumberofschooldays,from180to175.Thoughtheextratimeoffmightcheerstudents,Californiaschoolsuper-intendentJackO.Connellstrenuouslyopposesthemove.Bestsoundbite:"Toclosetheachievementgapandprepareallstudentsforsuccessinthecompetitiveglobaleconomy,weshouldbeofferingmoretimeinclass,notless."
E.DespiteCongress'sholdingemergencyweekendsessionstopushthroughastimulusplan,educatorsinmanystateslamentthefactthatschoolswon'tseeapennyoftheextramoneyuntilatleastJuly.AccordingtoO.Connell,someofCalifornia'spoorestdistrictsarerun-ningoutofcashforsubsidisedmealprogrammes.TheHaywarddistrictisplanninglayoffsthatwouldincreaseclasssizeinprimarygradesfrom20studentsto32.InLakeElsinore,schoolshaveturnedoffthelightsinmanyrooms--andplacedducttapeovertheswitch-es--tosavemoneyonelectricitybills.
F.TerryGrier,superintendentoftheSanDiegoUnifiedSchoolDistrict,sayshisdistrictneedsacashinflux(流入)now."Thereareschoolsinourdistrictthatdon'tevenhavenursesoncertaindays,"saysGrier,whosedistrictincludesHageElementarySchoolanditsshutteredstacks."Ifakidskinshiselbow,ateacherhastotaketimeoutofherlessontodusthimoff,cleanhimupandputonaBandAid."
G.Californiaisn'ttheonlystategrapplingwithsteepK-12budgetcuts.InFlorida,officialsinovercrowdedschooldistrictsarebracingthemselvesforlikelystaffcuts.Connecti-cut'sboardofeducationadoptedabudgetresolutioninDecemberthatincludedanover-all10%reduction--amovethatsomefearmeansthatpinkslipsforteachersareinevi-table."Thebiggestlineitemsinmostschoolbudgetsarestaffandbenefits,"saysBobBrewer,aneducationconsultantinEastHartford,Conn."Nodistrictcanabsorbthosekindsofhitswithouttrimmingsomeofthosebigticketitems."Evenoilandgasrichstatesareinapanic.InAlaska,forinstance,sinkingoilpriceshavesomestatelegisla-torsscramblingtolockineducationbudgetsforthenextfewyearsasthestatepreparestodipintoitssavingstocoverashortfallofapproximately$1.65billionthisyearandupto$3billionnextyear.InMontana,whichearnedbigbuckslastyearfromitsnaturalresources,educationisfundedprimarilythroughpropertytaxes,andmanyfearthattheclosingofminesandaluminumplantscouldtriggeramassexodusandredistributethetaxbase."Itdoesn'tlookgood,"saysEricFeaver,whoheadstheMEAMFT,aunionofteachersandstateemployees."Peoplearoundherearestartingtoaskthemselveswhatwillhappenifpeopleleave."
H.Wherewillthosefamiliesgo?Andwhoseschooldistrictscanaffordtoabsorbtheirchil-dren?InCalifornia,schoolofficialsareexpectingtoreceiveupwardsof$8billionovertwoyearsfromthefederalstimulus.Whilethismoneywouldenabledistrictstoaddresssomeoftheirmostpressingneeds,JohnMockler,aneducationfundingspecialistinSac-ramento,says,"It'snotapanacea(万灵药).Inthelongterm,Mocklersays,statesneedtocomeupwithnewfundingsourcestosupportclassroominstructionandletteachersdowhattheywerehiredtodo--teach.Inthemeantime,someschooldistrictadministratorshavecomeupwithcreativesolutions.SuperintendentJerryVaughnoftheFloydadaInde-pendentSchoolDistrictinTexas--whichhas900orsostudents--saysheisworkingto-wardapartnershipwithalocalwindpowercompanythatwouldpayforalaptopforeverykidingrades6through12.AtthefastgrowingForsythCountySchoolsDistrictinCum-ming,Ga.,BaileyMitchell,chieftechnologyandinformationofficer,recentlyoptedtousefreeopensourcesoftwareinsteadofpurchasingexpensivesoftwarelicensesfromvendorslikeMicrosoft.Mitchellsaysthedecisionwillsave$1.1millionoverthreeyears."Wesatbackandrecognizedthemoneyweneededsimplywasn'tgoingtomaterializeoutofthinair,"hesays.
I.BackinSanDiego,atHageElementary,teachersdesperateforhelpintheschoollibraryarerecruitingparentvolunteerstostaffthefacilityafewdayseachweek.JuliFinney,presidentoftheschool'sParentTeacherAssociation,admitsthatwhilethissolutionisn'tideal,itispreciselythekindofeffortsheandotherparentsmustmaketoensurethatstatebudgetcutsdon'tdenytheirchildrenthechancetoexperiencethethousandsofbooksthatarenowquiteliterallybehindcloseddoors."Technically,thePTAissupposedtoputic-ingonthecakeandnotprovidethecakeitself,"shesays.Butwhentimesaretough,somecakeisbetterthannocakeatall.
TheremightnotbeenoughtaxesforschoolbudgetsifalotofpeopleleaveMontana.
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