Government shutdown doesn’t currently pose threat to local schools
January 10, 2019
As of Jan. 10, the government shutdown by Donald Trump’s administration has lasted for 20 days; it’s creeping up on the previous record of 21 days in 1995-1996, according to the New York Times.
The duration of this shutdown has created substantial impacts for several government agencies, including National Parks, federal employees and Transaction Security Administration (TSA). Fiscally speaking, the government shutdown is doing more harm than good.
In a New York Times article, Michael A. Peterson, chairman of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, said: “There’s nothing good about this shutdown, from a fiscal or a budgetary standpoint. We’re absolutely not celebrating not spending money.”
On Jan. 10, the Michigan Department of Education sent out a letter to public school districts across the state outlining the situation. However, when it comes to education, “there has not been a big impact yet,” said Bill Disessa, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Education.
Because the Michigan Department of Education is already funded for the duration of 2019, it will not be significantly hindered by the shutdown. A potential issue comes into play with food agencies within schools, which are guaranteed funding by the federal government until Feb. 28.
“I don’t want to speculate,” Disessa said. “Hopefully, there will be a resolution soon and we won’t feel a significant impact.”
*Editor’s Note: As of Jan. 17, the Government shutdown broke the previous record and has lasted 27 days.
michael warda • Jan 12, 2019 at 6:05 AM
Its a sad time for our government. You are a witness to whats wrong with our political leaders and hopefully learn from it, how not to behave. I hope you young people can fix this broken system, we sure messed it up.