It can be an easy assertion to make that our school’s budget is mismanaged: a 40 year old AC system that takes temperatures to the hot and cold extremes and crumbling restroom facilities make it seem obvious that funds are being applied poorly.

However what can be overlooked is the fact that school administration has few controls over the budget, and has to focus on improving academics before they can think about allocating money anywhere else. In an environment where a school’s test scores and statistics are given enormous weight, there is simply no room for any sort of improvement to the building itself.

“Every year school expectations and accountability go up while school funding goes down,” said Principal Paul Wardinski.

 While the school is in dire need of renovation, the fact is that improving grades comes first and improving the building comes second. Blaming the administration for putting extra fees on sports and AP tests is unfair; the school is simply left with no other choice and needs these fees to supplement their ever-increasing expenses.

The administration has little to no control over what exactly their funding can be spent on, and even extra money from grants carries very specific instructions on how it can be spent. While this doesn’t mean that the entire budget is being appropriately applied, what it does mean is that school officials have very few options otherwise.

The more excessive parts of this school have been paid for by grants allotting for specific purchases, such as a sound system in the cafeteria, and more recently $3,000 to pay for the Spartans Do Your Part campaign launched last year.

It is true that this school is in desperate need of a renovation; WS is on the list of Fairfax County schools that have gone the longest without a one, but that wouldn’t improve the school in the short run like many students would like. The county is making long term decisions to complete entire renovation projects rather than kick a little money every which way for minor building improvements. Thus, even if our school wins the possible 2013 bond for renovation, the conditions for the next four years will worsen with torn up hallways and certainly trailer classrooms.

In the end, the school and the county remain caught in a whirlwind of decreasing funding and an environment where only our grades matter even if we’re unhappy with conditions. Where preparing us for our future is more important than living in a broken down school for the present.