High School Happenings
By Erin Brennan
There's no doubt about the fact that students at North Kingstown High School are concerned about the future of the school. With the huge budget deficit, the school committee is constantly judging what to cut in order to make the funds of the tax payers stretch far enough, and students are taking notice.

Many students are extremely concerned about the cuts, including sophomore Jacqueline Siatti. "I've heard rumors that the school committee is thinking about cutting sports, and even some of the fine arts," she said.

"I hear rumors about sports getting cut all the time," said islander Mike Harpool. "I always hope that's not true, because I don't know how the committee would expect that some sports could pay for themselves."

Senior Ashley Hutchins, who plays varsity softball, already helps fund her team with various fundraisers and sales. She also says that her coaches occasionally have to buy equipment that the school can't afford. "We also can't afford busses all the time; just the other day we had to share a bus with the tennis team, and we were late to our game. We need the funding of the school."

Whether or not these rumors of cutting sports and arts are true, it's no rumor that the school committee is cutting up to 12 teaching and administrative positions within the next fiscal year throughout North Kingstown's various schools. Newer, younger teachers are worried about their jobs, and concerned about their futures.

"I don't really think that the school committee is focusing on the long term objectives of the future," said junior Amanda O'Brien, who attended several meetings in accordance with her Current Events class. "There are many things that we could do to cut spending, such as monitor our electricity use, and even recycle our plastic bottles, which is something we don't do now. All of our recyclables are just thrown away."

Islander Sarah Pease is also concerned about the decisions that the school committee is making. "I know that there has to be some other way to find money, cutting teachers is not they way to do it," she said. "There has to be some long term things, instead of the short sporadic decisions that are occurring now."

But students would also hate to cut other things at school, like some of the music and elective classes, which they feel keeps the school more diverse. "We have such a nice school," Hutchins said. "I know it must cost a lot of money to keep it up, keep all the different programs that we have running."

Most students also know that the most important things about school are the academic classes, and that those classes are the ones that need to stay. "I know that school is school, and the academics are the reason that our school is high performing," said Pease.

Even with these tough budget cuts, most students are respectful of the decisions of the school committee. "They're doing what they think is best," O'Brien said. "Budgets are confusing, and if they can save us from the deficit, then that's a good thing. We have to trust that they are making the best choices."