Public school administrators rarely feel they have all of the money they need to operate. That is particularly true this school year, with the shortfall in the state budget.

School officials have said average increases in state funding of 2.6 percent in 2006 and 2.4 percent in 2007 are inadequate and will force them to raise property taxes to pay for all of the programs they feel they need to provide.

School cutbacks take many forms. Schools might reduce the number of teachers, teacher aides or support staff, or some salaries might be frozen. Class sizes might grow, or classes might be eliminated. Enrichment and extracurricular programs might be cut. Repairs or renovations might be delayed or scrapped.

Some cost-cutting measures aren't noticed by students, but those affecting classes and programming usually are. Here, four Y-Press members reflect on changes they've noticed at their schools.

Keisha Mitchell

Junior,

Broad Ripple High School

Though Broad Ripple High School is often seen as being second rate in academic achievement, its student body still strives to excel. I have seen the school and its students go through several major changes in the pursuit of educational and personal achievement.

Along with the much-publicized "small learning communities" that were put in place to give the Indianapolis Public Schools' educational program a boost, major construction has happened at the site. More subtle changes have occurred, too -- many of which came as a result of budget cuts. Regretfully, one of the programs that was canceled at Broad Ripple was the student newspaper.

As a sophomore, I was on the staff of the Riparian and really enjoyed the experience. It was one of my favorite classes, mainly because I was allowed to write about the issues affecting the school. In addition, I was exposed to many facets of newspaper production.

This year, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's High School Initiative commissioned a nationwide study of thousands of high school students and faculty to see how they viewed the First Amendment in a post-9/11 world. It found that low-income and urban schools have a harder time maintaining media programs, such as school newspapers.

It's unfortunate that when schools lose funding, the school newspaper is on the chopping block, since it's a way for students to stay connected.

Katie McDowell

Seventh-grader,

Belzer Middle School

Last April, Lawrence Township's School Board came up with a proposal to eliminate German and French classes for seventh-graders, offering only Spanish. This made me really mad because I was looking forward to taking Spanish and French this school year.

Upset parents formed a committee to challenge the board, and students made petitions and put signs on their lockers.

After the committee had several meetings, the board decided to keep the German and French classes for another year. That helped me, but next year's seventh-graders might not have the same opportunity, and the sixth-grade class that introduced students to all three languages has been cut.

Foreign languages help kids down the road, when they apply to colleges or pursue a global career. Hopefully, future seventh-graders will have the same opportunity that I have this year.

Olivia Mozzi

Senior,

Lawrence North High School

This summer, I gained a second family, dozens of new friends, functional fluency in a second language and a profound appreciation for a foreign culture -- all thanks to the Indiana University Honors Program in Foreign Languages for High School Students. My complete immersion in the language and culture of St. Brieuc, France, transformed me from a student who was often hesitant to speak French in class to one who speaks, thinks and sings in French and adores the French language and culture.

Imagine my frustration upon finding out that my school district, Lawrence Township, is considering reducing foreign language offerings in order to accommodate budget cuts.

Reducing students' exposure to foreign languages reduces their knowledge of different cultures as well. Language is more than words; it encompasses history, traditions, family and identity. Living among the French, the majority of whom know English, and then coming home to a school district in which the opportunity for children to learn about other cultures is now threatened makes me wonder how we Americans will adapt to the world.

World leaders speak of the globalization of society and the crucial issue of foreign relations, which grows more delicate by the day. How will children, the leaders of the future, be a successful part of society without being given the chance to appreciate other ways of living? Crippling foreign language programs circumscribes a child's world and his or her ability to learn lessons both in and outside of the classroom.

Zoe Hayes

Junior,

Lebanon High School

Budget cuts have affected every Indiana public school; Lebanon High is no exception.

The Lebanon school district has low property taxes and a rapidly growing student population, so a budget shortfall only hamstrings an already struggling school.

This year, two music classes at Lebanon High School have been cut -- music theory and music history and appreciation. Each is a one-semester class, making the high school band director's position a half-time job. In addition, a much-touted reading program and several physical education classes have been cut, as well as two study hall teachers.

According to Principal Steve Psikula, the music cuts were motivated by a lack of student interest, compared to other fine-arts classes. Many of my friends are in band, and they are outraged by the cuts. Teachers have had to take over many of the study hall periods, increasing the sizes of their other classes -- although that is partly a symptom of the increasingly overpopulated school.

Of course, Lebanon students should be used to cutbacks by now. In my freshman year, students received 42 minutes per lunch period but were restricted to the cafeteria, gym lobby and two nearby hallways. My sophomore year, lunch became 30 minutes long and student movement was limited to the cafeteria, to the gym lobby during the first 10 minutes of lunch and one hallway. This is hardly enough for students to get their food and eat, much less engage in any social activity.

Everybody has to draw their belts a little tighter this year, but the Lebanon school district is ridiculously large, considering the concentration of people in the school.

Perhaps if some students were bused to Western Boone -- a rural high school with fewer crowding problems than Lebanon, people would not have to form human chains to get through the hallways.