Can you put a price on a student’s education? America’s federal government just did, removing funding for vital school programs like tutoring.
It is not always clear how the Federal government can affect OH students, but it just did, and it is clear with the absence of Oswego’s after school tutoring program.
Assistant Principal, Tania Sharp said, “our afterschool tutoring program is actually funded through Title l federal funding” she added “Funding was significantly cut, therefore, [OH lost] every single program that we were able to offer, utilizing those funds”.
“The program was a grant funded program, and due to some of the legislation, some of the grant money was taken away from schools. Therefore, we no longer have that money to support the teachers that were getting paid to be there,” said OH math teacher Amber Samuilis.
Samuilis was a prominent member of the afterschool tutoring program; she spent her afternoons assisting students with their algebra homework.
“It was a very utilized program. We always had students there for math and science,” said Samuilis.
Many took advantage of the program. Whether they were desperately struggling or had a few simple questions, students felt comfort in knowing they had the resources and opportunity to get help.
“I would say I’d go about once a week,” said OH junior, Kaitlyn Cross. “It was definitely really helpful to be able to have that extra resource”.
The tutoring program gave students a chance to get one on one time with teachers and get complete work.
Samuilis said, “some students came in for help every single tutoring session, and it definitely helped… you could tell in their grades [that] they would come”.
At OH, students, teachers, and administrators are all facing the direct repercussions of the federal government’s budget cuts, and the feeling is mutually frustrating.
Sharp said, “It was pretty devastating to hear that our funding got cut by so much.”
“I think it’s kind of stupid because there’s a lot of people that don’t have people at home to help them…and if there’s people who don’t have the money to afford outside of school tutoring, it just takes away this free option to get help on their work,” said Cross.
Fortunately, OH teachers aren’t letting this circumstance go unnoticed. Many are willing to come in early or stay late after school to assist students when needed.
To compensate for the loss of the tutoring program, Samulis says,
“As best as we can, be made available… I personally just have told my students that I will be available after school… Hopefully they take advantage of that.”
There is no doubt that the federal government has made a massive mistake by removing funding for these programs. OH and schools across the nation can only hope that legislation will bring these programs back. Until then communities must come together and find ways to ensure students get the help they need.
“I have no idea That’s dependent on the government,” said Samuilis in disappointment.
Hello! My name is Lily Roller, and I am a junior at Oswego High School. I am super excited for my first year on staff of 42Fifty. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
Hello!!! My name is Jia Nair, and I am a junior at Oswego High School. It is my second year on the staff 42Fifty and I serve as the podcast and video editor of our publication. At OHS, I am involved in BIONIC, Youth and Government, Girl Scouts, and Business Professionals of America. I also serve as the president of The Rightfully Project. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication.
