2/11/2010 12:02:00 PM Former students organize South Whidbey High School walkout
A poster promotes a student walkout at South Whidbey High School.
By Sue Ellen White For the Examiner
Their demands don't follow traditional student protests.
Organizers of a walkout at South Whidbey High School are asking students to leave school on March 4 to publicize their objections to state and district budget cuts.
Jumanji Oliana, a 2004 SWHS graduate, said the daylong walkout, scheduled to begin at 9:10 a.m., is part of a nationwide event to bring attention to a lack of funding for education.
"People take notice when the young get involved," Oliana said.
She and co-organizer Devin Matthews-Jensen, another South Whidbey graduate, will conduct a strategy session for participants in late February. They have contacted some faculty and union members, begun organizing students and recently notified district administrators of their plans.
Oliana said she does not want staff members to risk their jobs by leaving school, but will be encouraging students to express their dissatisfaction with the cuts, which she said will be more than $345,000 if the Governor Gregoire's supplemental budget is passed by the legislature.
District officials were not available to comment on the planned action.
Though she hopes there will be no consequences for those who participate, Oliana said, budget cuts would be worse.
"A bigger consequence will be . . . to show that students care about their education," Oliana said.
More information about the walkout can be found atmarch4thswhswalkout.wordpress.com.
Reader Comments
Posted: Monday, February 15, 2010
Article comment by:
WIlliam Burnett
To place this in better context for myself, I was interested to see what the recent budget trends amounted to recently. The budget overview document for the district is here: http://www.k12.wa.us/safs/rep/fin/0910/15206195.pdf
From the 2007-2008 school year, the budget has gone from $17.4 million to $17.1 million, but that's also while having lost 194 students.
During the 2007-2008 school year, with 1,851 students, the district budgeted $9,374 per FTE student (General Fund).
In the 2009-2010 school year, with 1,657 FTE, the General Fund amounts to $10,330 per FTE student.
If we were to assume 1,657 FTE next year, but with $345K less $$, that would be $10, 122 per FTE: an 8% increase in FTE (about a 2% increase per year since the 2007-2008 school year).
That may be a cut in the rate of growth, but it's still a 2% annual spending rate increase over the last four years.
