SPOKANE, Wash –
Funding for education is one of the biggest things on the chopping block, if the
so-called "sequester" budget crisis isn't resolved in Washington
D.C.
According to a report
from the White House, Washington "will
lose approximately $11,606,000 in funding for primary and secondary education,
putting around 160 teacher and aide jobs at risk. In addition about 11,000 fewer
students would be served and approximately 50 fewer schools would receive
funding."
On top
of that, the report states "Washington will lose approximately $11,251,000 in
funds for about 140 teachers, aides, and staff who help children with
disabilities."
Money
the Spokane Guilds' School and Neuromuscular Center can't afford to
lose.
"I'd say we're at the
end of the rope. If some of these cuts come through, it just means some of these
kids aren't going to get service. It's just that simple," said Executive
Director Dick Boysen.
One of the 138
children enrolled at the Guilds' School is Brody Baumann. At a young age, he began showing signs of
developmental disabilities. He couldn't
sit up on his own, and was getting a number of ear infections. While he hasn't been formally diagnosed, his
father says he may have autism or a neurological problem.
"You just feel so
blessed to have a child, and slowly but surely you notice something's not right,
and you feel really helpless," his father, Kyle Baumann told
KHQ.
Children at the Guilds' School may have autism, Down syndrome,
cerebral palsy, hearing or vision impairments, or even a history of being
abused.
"The ones that live -
we put them back together," Boysen added.
He said funding has
been shrinking for years, and the seven sources of government funding the school
gets only covers 2/3 of the budget; they have to privately raise the rest ($1
million) every year to simply stay open.
And if that budget
picture got any worse, the school would be at a breaking
point.
"Since 90% of our expense is
salaries, you know what would happen, we've got to lose people if these cuts
come through," Boysen said. "So it would
be devastating."
Devastating to the
school – and its families – who've already come so far.
In the seven months
Brody has been there, he's made big advances, including interacting with
tablets, making more eye contact, trying to walk and trying to
talk.
"It's great because we
know that he's learning and he's progressing," Baumann
said.
"I don't know what the
solution is, but the solution is not to take services away from little
kids. I do know that," Boysen
said.
Head Start also put
out a press release about the sequester, saying it's bracing for an
across-the-board 5.3% budget cut.
The Plummer Worley
School District in Idaho is also speaking out against the sequester, calling it
"not right, not fair, and inconceivable."
To learn more about
the cuts that may come if no resolution is reached, visit:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/sequester-factsheets/Washington.pdf
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/sequester-factsheets/Idaho.pdf
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