1/21/2009

I'm a high school student in Orange County, Florida. Faced with the problem of budget cuts, my county decided to reorganize the school times in an attempt to save money on buses; so, elementary school now begins at 8:30, middle school at 7:30, and high school at 9:30. Because of this time change, many of my fellow students get out too late to have jobs, participate in extra-curricular activities, or pick up their siblings from school. Moreover, with less time to study when we get home from school, many of us have developed bad sleeping habits that are clearly not healthy. Furthermore, as a member of my high school's band, I've seen a lot of the cuts go straight to the arts departments. This is no way to encourage and inspire the people who will be ruling our country in twenty years! Budget cuts have been nothing but more weight on our shoulders as we prepare for college, and I hope when I'm old enough to be of influence, I can become more involved with the education of future generations.