Opinions

Phew. We can breathe again. The New York City Council cancelled the budget cuts for Stuyvesant’s 2008-2009 school year on Thursday, June 26. We’ll get everything back—our classes and extracurricular activities are out of harm’s way.

This change is a direct result of adamant student and parent opposition to the cuts. Parents joined together at schools citywide and held multiple protests outside City Hall. During the school year, student rallying was just as strong. And, thankfully, this passion was heard on both the city and state levels.

Stuyvesant and the 73 other New York City high schools that were going to get hit hardest by the 2008-2009 cuts escaped this year. Yet this does not mean we will be safe in the future. Pause for a moment and think about how different Stuyvesant would be if the budget cuts had happened. The class you had been hoping to take since freshman year, gone. The club you wanted to be president of, gone.

The fire with which both students and parents protested the New York City educational budget cuts was admirable—keep it up. Students must fundraise for their own clubs and teams to ensure that these extracurricular activities are not in jeopardy if, in upcoming years, budget cuts do go through. And, if the threat of budget cuts does become a reality next year, protest. We have the responsibility to our school and the students who will come after us.

Take advantage of the money we have this year—the classes and activities it allows. But be conscious that it may not last. There is no guarantee we will have all these options next year. Don’t let the fire die down.