Chester Upland students speak out about effects of budget cuts

Only one music teacher in a district of 4,000 students.

Four school nurses rotating among eight buildings. Kindergarten and prekindergarten classes cut from full- to half-day, with more children in each classroom. High school class sizes hovering around 40.

These and other examples emerged at a meeting convened by state NAACP officials Wednesday night in Chester to take comments on the effect that stiff state budget cuts are having on the Chester Upland district since classes resumed.

The district, one of the hardest hit in Pennsylvania, cut the ranks of teachers and other professionals, such as counselors and nurses, by more than 35 percent. More than two-thirds of the nonprofessional staff - a category that includes secretaries and classroom aides - was laid off.

"I believe the education cuts have put my education in jeopardy," Sierra Baldwin, a junior at Chester High School, told the audience of about 100 at St. Luke's Christian Community Church.

"We lack handouts to assist us in our lessons, because the copiers are in need of repair," she said. "There is nowhere to put new students except in classes that are already overcrowded. . . . When computers break down, there is such a long delay to get them repaired, because of the lack of funds."

Chester Upland uses state aid for about two-thirds of its budget; that allocation was cut over the summer by about 15 percent. The district also lost federal funding and ended up slashing $18 million from its budget, reducing it from $114 million to $96 million.

The Rev. Bernice Warren, head of Chester Eastside Ministries, said many after-school programs, including homework support, computer training, art, school clubs, jazz band, choir, and dance were dropped. She called the state budget cuts "unacceptable, unjust, and evil."

District spokesman Joel Avery said Thursday the cuts were made in after-school offerings because a state grant that was unrelated to the education budget ended.

Avery also said, "Every school in the district has the full gamut of curricular materials."

Assistant Superintendent Dexter Davis said, "Any time you face this kind of budgetary cutbacks, it's a challenge. Could we use more? Absolutely. But we believe we have enough to adequately educate our children."