Budget Cuts

As I'm sure all of you have heard, the governor has proposed a budget that, if passes, will have a devastating effect on our public schools. Many people were handed pink slips this week. Too many, in fact. In my small school district, two severely handicapped teachers were given pink slips and at least 4 instructional assistants in SH....that I know of.

My job is not in jeopardy as I have been with my district long enough to have quite a bit of senority (especially with the turnover of instructional assistants...people aren't lining up for my job!). However, I'm fairly certain that my hours are going to be cut again this year. Last year, my hours were cut from 7 hours per day to 6.5 hours per day. It looks like I may be down to 6 hours per day in August. This doesn't sound like much, but one half hour per day turns into quite a lot at the end of the month. On top of this, it means that what I will pay in medical insurance will go up again, being that I pay more in medical when my hours go down. As a result, my paychecks are roughly $300 less per month just because of this and will go down another $300 a month come August.

I feel that I'm at a bit of a crossroads. I really love my job and don't want to quit. This year has been a pretty good one overall. However, I don't feel that I'm living up to my financial obligation at home if I don't bring in more money (that is my issue...Lance has never said a word about me finding another job or bringing in more money. He's very supportive and wants me to have a job where I am happy.) So, my options are to stay with my current job and possibly find a second job again or find another job altogether. Again, this is something that I'm struggling with myself and not something that I'm being pressured about by anyone else. I don't want to give anyone the impression that we're hurting for money or that we're not making ends meet. I just want to be more comfortable...especially with a little one coming.