BANGOR: State budget cuts have left their mark on a number of schools in Wisconsin. In the Bangor School District these cuts have forced teachers and staff to take on extra duties.

They have enough desks, and textbooks, but what they don’t have is a counselor at Bangor Elementary.

“We did eliminate a guidance counselor” said Roger Foegen, Bangor District Administrator

This year Principal Jac Lyga took over the guidance position.

Lyga said, “Everybody works hard… when you have a cut in a position you just have to pick up the slack.”

But trying to do two things at once wasn’t cutting it.

"I think the kids notice because when they have a conflict they have a harder time trying to figure out who to go to” said Lyga.

"It was a tough dual role. She did a great job keeping programs going, but with her duties as a principal there was a void” said Foegen.

The district will hire a part time guidance position for the second semester.

Budget cuts have been harsh for schools all around Wisconsin, but the hardest cut at Bangor Elementry was to the Title 1 Reading program.

Lyga explained, “It’s called Title 1, and it’s a federal program. Title 1 Reading Support, and the intent is to help struggling readers.

She says the program has little federal funding these days, and a full time reading specialist was cut at the beginning of the school year.

“Because title one had to be cut, not something the district wanted to do… that means students can’t get services that they’ve been provided with in the past” said Deborah Cromer, a reading specialist
at Bangor School District.

Many are worried what will happen if cuts keep coming.

Cromer said, “We’ve been cut back to the bare bone. We’ve been operating on a shoe string for years, and now we are getting cut more and more with more expectations put on us.”