Running head: MY EXPERIENCE

Budget Reduction in Schools and My Personal Experience

Maria Ochoa
University of St. Thomas Cohort- Spring Branch

MY EXPERIENCE

2
Abstract

After working as a paraprofessional for years, my job was coming to an end. I was one of
the five employees on campus affected by the United States budget reduction of 2011. After
seven years of being employed with the Spring Branch Independent School District, I was going
to be unemployed. I had mixed emotions when I received the infamous pink slip. I was just
hoping that there would be a solution about what was happening at that time.
Keywords: budget, reduction, 2011, United States, paraprofessional

MY EXPERIENCE

Budget Reduction in Schools and My Personal Experience

I am truly sorry, those were the words spoken to me by the principal, as I received an
envelope in his office. To my surprise, the envelope contained a pink paper slip that stated that
due to budget reductions in my field, as a resource paraprofessional, had been eliminated from
campus. At that moment, I remembered everything I had to endure to get where I was and my
main concern was redirected towards my monthly bills and life expenses. I was a single parent
struggling with rent and bills, in addition to a car note that had to be kept up with. I was on a
constricted financial plan. Although, confronting a life changing issue as such, graduation was
two months away and I was eagerly looking forward to begin my teaching career. I strongly
believe that certain factors impact on educational change, such as economic policies resulting in
the reduction of teaching staff and lack of funding for teaching specialists, may impact or
influence student achievement and behavior in Title 1 schools.
How I began
Since I was in the fourth grade I knew I wanted to become a teacher. In June of 2005, a
month after graduating from high school, I realized that it was not going to be easy to obtain a
degree being a single parent, but it was my dream that I would pursue. That year, after being
recommended by many former teachers, I was hired to work as a paraprofessional in a prekindergarten center in the Spring Branch Independent School District. The teacher and I were
very effective as copartners. I enjoyed interacting with the students and loved seeing how they
learned on a daily basis. After being with the district for four years, I decided to expand my
horizons and requested a transfer. I was then offered a position as a resource special education
paraprofessional. Assisting students from first through fifth grade who had been diagnosed with a
learning disability, as suggested by Skull and Winkler (2011) in their article Shifting Trends in

MY EXPERIENCE

Special Education, I would provide one-on-one tutoring (Skull & Winkler, 2011, p.10).
Working with students with learning disabilities was a new experience, and allowed me to work
with students from all grade levels, in which I was grateful for.
As my graduation was approaching fast, I was much occupied with my daughter, work,
and school that I was clueless about the status of the economy and how it would impact
education during the next years. I would hear conversations that there would be reductions on
funding for education, but did not think I would be affected by it. In the middle of April the
principal called me into his office to hand me an envelope that contained a paper pink slip. The
only sentence I remembered from that slip was, your last day with SBISD will be June 3, 2011.
I was devastated and had no idea how I would handle this after the date stated. Two weeks later, I
received a call from the principal with a proposal. The only way I could maintain a position with
Spring Branch was if I transferred to the autism unit, which was also considered under the
special education department. Not having to think the offer twice, I accepted so I could remain in
the educational field. A few weeks after school had begun I received an email from my previous
supervisor, offering me a teaching position as a pre-kindergarten teacher. This was what I had
been working many years for. I felt awful leaving the autism unit, but this was my way to
enhance my teaching career and reach my goal.
A new journey
Having two days to set up my classroom, I received the roster for the academic school
year, and to my surprise I had twenty-six students in my class. I knew I could handle a
classroom, but I was unsure if I could handle one of such size with students in the age of four
and five years old. I tried to maintain a positive attitude. I agree with Edwards (2012) as he states
in his article, Staying focused on what can be done is easier with a positive attitude. (Edwards,

MY EXPERIENCE

2012, p. 56). I had hope that everything would be fine. Administrators sent all of the
paraprofessionals to assist me for three days in order to get supplies, students emergency contact
information, and transportation badges organized. With the reductions that were implemented,
everyone needed to be patient and flexible with their time, as a result of fewer personnel on
campus. Being the only teacher with twenty seven students and no paraprofessional, was not
what I had imagined in my first year of teaching. After weeks went by, I was informed by an
administrator that there would be a part-time paraprofessional hired as soon as they received
permission. I maintained a positive attitude and hoped that day would soon arrive. By the end of
November, I was relieved to have an extra set of eyes in the classroom for at least half of the day.
My paraprofessional was highly qualified and had the experience working with pre-kindergarten
students as well. We were both strong believers of B.F Skinners theory. In Antaya-Moore (2008)
studies demonstrate that B.F Skinners theory of positive reinforcement is used, to stress
behavior in order to maintain a good classroom management. I managed to overcome the anxiety
throughout the school year brought upon the reality of having twenty seven students, but
unfortunately, had a negative effect on my health. I struggled through stress that would cause my
blood pressure to rise. I decided to make a change for the benefit of my health.
By the end of June, I decided to move back to the elementary school where I worked as a
paraprofessional to teach kindergarten. Unfortunately, for the past three years around the month
of April, our administrator informs us that the school district will be looking at staffing for the
following year. There is always a possibility that some of us, teachers or paraprofessional, might
have to be relocated to a different campus, depending on the student enrollment. Classrooms
with less than 21 students are no longer a common sight. From my personal experience, it has
not been easy moving back and forth to different campuses. As we approach the month of April, I

MY EXPERIENCE

begin to worry, concerned that I may be required to leave. As Kober and Rentner (2011)
mentioned in there article, Education reform has been a particular victim of declining budgets in
many districts (Kober and Rentner, 2011, p.15). Spring Branch Independent School District has
suffered from declining budgets, and is projected to continue to suffer.

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References

Antaya-Moore, D., & Alberta Education, L. B. (2008). Supporting Positive Behaviour in Alberta
Schools: A Classroom Approach. Alberta Education
Edwards, B. (2012). CAN-DO. Knowledge Quest, 40(3), 54-57.
Kober, N., Rentner, D. S., & Center on Education, P. (2011). Strained Schools Face Bleak
Future: Districts Foresee Budget Cuts, Teacher Layoffs, and a Slowing of Education
Reform Efforts. Center On Education Policy,
Scull, J., Winkler, A. M., & Thomas B. Fordham, I. (2011). Shifting Trends in Special Education.
Thomas B. Fordham Institute,