The President and Congress worked overtime to avoid the “fiscal
cliff” back at the beginning of the year. The problem is that
there still is no budget in place and really no solution in
sight. To try to force a budget deal, Congress has come up with
a proposed five percent reduction to all programs so that
lawmakers will work together to keep their pet programs from
being affected by the cut. What happens if sequestration becomes
a reality and why should we care? From a strictly educational
standpoint, the effects could be disastrous; so bad, in fact,
that some school districts have already started to issue pink
slips in preparation for sequestration. That is correct.
Sequestration would have such a huge impact that some teachers
are already losing their jobs. Public schools nationwide could
see an immediate impact on around 10,000 positions as
sequestration would remove around $1.3 billion in funding for
disabled and Title 1 (low income) students. There is also the
possibility that some schools would have to