Back-to-School Means Belt-Tightening For San Diego Families

Between a state budge crisis that means budget cuts for local school districts, and a shrinking economy affecting the bottom line of every household, back to school means a lot of belt tightening for everyone as a new school year begins.

According to an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune, cuts will be occurring everywhere, and it will be the students who take the brunt. Fewer yellow buses will transport children. School cafeterias will charge more for lunch. Teachers will reuse textbooks. Art and music instruction and other specialized programs have been scaled back.

And even though many of the feared layoffs around the county didn't happen due to a less-than-anticipated decrease in the state's education budget, the across the board scaling back of services means a less-than-optimum educational experience for students and parents.

A number of local districts are curtailing school bus services, adding to fuel costs as parents scramble to make transportation arrangements. On top of that, parents already paying more for their family's groceries also find themselves digging deeper for school lunches. Food prices are expected to continue to rise – by 5 percent to 6 percent this year – making it the largest annual increase since 1990, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In some districts, the cost for a month of school meals is now as much as $55.

For now, many parents will be packing brown bag lunches for their kids, and figuring out how to pick up their children after class. And that's on top of more crowded classrooms, fewer school supplies and programs, and low teacher morale. It appears there's going to be enough frustration to go around for this school year. Read the entire Union-Tribune article here.