As budgets tighten around the United States, state governments are struggling to figure out how they can save money and shrink their deficits.
It's a tough battle as nobody wants taxes increased during a bad economy, but at the same time, nobody wants programs cut.
Placed in this situation, it's strange to see education receiving so many cuts.
Schools around the country are forced to layoff countless teachers as they simply don't have enough money to keep employing them.
While some might think it's fair that teachers experience the same set of layoffs that other industries are experiencing, think about the implications.
Fewer teachers means bigger class sizes, especially when the number of kids in each grade level isn't decreasing.
As these class sizes grow, it will be harder to give each child the attention needed to understand their material.
The effects of this might not be immediate, but over time, the issues will become more and more exacerbated.
Education is what keeps the country moving forward, as people are able to learn new things and develop new skills to keep the United States at a high level of technology.
In the end, budgets need to be cut, but teachers should not be the first thing places on the cutting board.
Without education, we have nothing.
Hopefully, the system will change its course and we'll be able to continue giving our children the resources they need to build a better tomorrow.
Otherwise, who knows where we will find ourselves as the economy repairs.