More suffering for education

Increased tuition at South Carolina's public universities and the cutting of 47 more positions from Aiken County schools are additional signs of the faltering economy and the inability of the state to adequately fund education as well as other governmental agencies.

The University of South Carolina announced that it will hike tuition in the fall by 3.6 percent. USC Aiken will be increasing tuition by 4.9 percent - about $370 per year for full-time in-state students. While the dollar amount may seem small, the increase comes at a time of economic stress for students and their families. For some the $370 may be beyond a tipping point, causing them to drop out of school for a semester or more. We hope that is not the case.

The weak economy also forced a decision by the Aiken County School District to cut several support staff positions from the upcoming budget. That means that 47 people who worked for the district this year will not have those positions in August.

The impact of a poor economy on the coffers of state government is profound. Each month brings more bad news and threats of more cuts to already bare-bones budgets for state agencies. The bad news trickles down to individuals as well, with job layoffs, furloughs and salary decreases hitting hard at South Carolina workers. Unfortunately, cuts to education hit hardest those who need educational services the most - those living in poverty. Unless the economy improves in upcoming months, there will be many more impoverished in our state.