Proration is not just affecting the Chilton County Board of Education and county schools. It is affecting the education the students in those schools are getting.

The changes may be minimal this year, but even seniors are starting to notice things are happening because of the state-ordered cuts in spending.

“The teachers and everyone are just now really starting to talk to us about proration and the things that it means for us, and I just don’t know what to say about the whole situation,” Katelyn Patterson said.

Even with little knowledge about the new situation for schools, the students have big opinions about what is happening. Connie Dale, a Verbena High School student, said she doesn’t think schools should have to suffer from money loss because if the schools are not getting enough funding then the students aren’t getting enough taught to them and in return the world is not getting good leaders.

“It is really scary to me to think about the future. Even if the proration doesn’t affect me as much, I would like to one day have a family and it would almost be unfair to bring a child into this kind of situation,” Patterson said.

Akeem Borom, a Chilton County High School student and drum major, was not excited about the proration situation either. He said that if schools are still talking about taking away more and more, then the schools won’t be able to offer enough to the students.

“There was a time this year that, due to gas prices, we almost didn’t get to go to a [football], game and that was when I realized what kind of pressure the schools were under,” he said.

The students said they are not going to be able to do as well if the schools have to cut more teachers because their classrooms are getting over crowded.

“For right now, all we can do is hope that things get better,” CCHS student Canisha Dennis said.