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School Board Adopts Resolution To Stop Federal Cuts

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A Hocking County school board is trying to capture the attention of federal lawmakers to put an end to budget cuts that could affect their school district in the upcoming school year. 

The Logan-Hocking Local School Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution at a meeting Monday night that urges Congress and the Obama Administration to amend the Budget Control Act to mitigate federal cuts to education. 

The across-the-board cuts to federal education programs would occur under a process called sequestration that was enacted under the Budget Control Act of 2011. The process would cut education funding nationwide by more than $4 billion, and could affect the Logan-Hocking's district's budget by more than $285,000.

"Given the budget cuts and adjustments our local community has made in recent years, there is simply very little, if anything else, left to cut," said Paul Shaw, treasurer of the school district. "Any further cuts in education funding could adversely affect the quality of our education programs."

Shaw said a budget cut of 8.2 percent in federal funding could result in larger class sizes, fewer course offerings, less extra-curricular programs and faculty lay-offs.

Bipartisan negotiations are currently underway in Congress to develop an alternative to sequestration.

Shaw said the Logan-Hocking district superintendent is working hard to address what might be done if Congress doesn't reach an agreement.

A PDF copy of the resolution is attached below.