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The Vox Box

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  3. With a Slow Economy, Schools are Taking Quite a Hit

With a Slow Economy, Schools are Taking Quite a Hit

With fuel prices (at least for Diesel) on the rise, soaring food expenses, and all of the other woes attached to our troubled economy, school districts are being forced to evaluate their budgets. Increased meal prices, 4-day school weeks, and complete cuts of district transportation (i.e. busses, vans, etc.) are only a few of the major adjustments that schools across the country are making to adapt to the problems within the economy. Read the original article from the NY Times here. School officials are seeing a large number of homeless students or students from extremely low-income families in the districts nowadays. More and more students are in need of free or reduced-priced meals. Attendance has decreased in many schools nationwide, meaning less state funding for those schools. Hundreds of Teachers and other school staff are being laid off all over the country. All in all, things aren't looking very bright around schools right now. Charity organizations made efforts before the start of school to give away backpacks and supplies, but even then, they only have a limited number of items.

So how about you're school/school district? Have any major changes been made to things like extra-curricular activities, meals, transportation, etc? Has the economy made any significant impact on the way your school operates?

In 2006, then-editor Steve Smith of The Spokesman-Review had the idea of starting a publication for an often forgotten audience: teenagers. The Vox Box was a continuation of the Vox, an all-student staffed newspaper published by The Spokesman-Review. High school student journalists who staffed the Vox made all content decisions as they learn about the trade of journalism. This blog's mission was to give students an opportunity to publish their voices. The Vox Box and the Vox wrapped up in June 2009, but you can follow former staffers' new blog at http://voxxiez.blogspot.com.