Unless you are a senior, the budget cuts that are taking place next year will indelibly affect you.

Things such as freshman sports, free AP tests and summer school, may cease to exist for the 2011 school year.

At a press conference on with Superintendent Jack Dale, the county is planning to cut 30 programs in order to meet their deficit of $176 million.

An increase of two more students per class, paying $100 a sport, reduction in assistant principles, and a 10% reduction in the janitorial staff are just some of the consequences with the financial deficit.

You would think that all these cuts would balance the Fairfax County checkbook but to the shock of many, $62.1 million are still in deficit.

Having been in the Fairfax County Public Schools system for about 10 years, the majority of students have become accustomed to the well-rounded academic and extra-curricular standards in this school. There is a reason that Fairfax County Public Schools are some of the best in the nation.

Education should continue to be the main priority; we are not just saying that because we are students, but because students are the economic, political and social future of America. This is where we hone our nation’s leaders, who, in turn, will establish our future standing in the world.

We understand that certain activities need to be cut or, at least, supported by the participants instead of the school, but we do not want teachers’ salaries to be cut. As much as we may be frustrated with the projects or amount of homework they give us, they are the reason why our school continues to win the Wachovia Cup. If we take away teacher motivation any longer, then we will see the most dramatic drop in school standards. Teachers are interested in our success, so the county needs to be interested in their success.

Raise restaurant taxes by 1 percent. An increase of 1% would mean less opportunity taken away from the students.

Without all these funded programs, the incoming freshmen would have to deal with 4 years of paying $75 for a single AP test, removal of all freshmen sports, and the increase of two students per class size and many more fees, cuts or eliminations as a consequence of the new budget cuts.

As a student body, we should bond together in order to make education the number-one priority.

By sending in your opinions and making this an open forum, the students can have a voice and we can do something about it.

Send in letters to the Purple Tide and voice your opinion about the new budget cuts.