Ever since they learned that Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill’s budget proposal didn’t include funding for after-school programming at middle schools, Yug Mehta and his friends at Rachel Carson Middle School started planning for contingencies.
The debate team could continue, they thought, but meetings would have to be organized either at someone’s house or somewhere else they’d be allowed to spend time when class ended for the day.
The Going Green Club, which focuses on environmental issues, could continue figuring out ways to have a positive impact on the environment, but it’s unlikely there would be regular meetings to check in with each other.
But those plans don’t have to become reality, now that Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors has marked up its budget, making changes before final approval next week.
Lawmakers are lowering the real estate tax, while also implementing a 4% meals tax on food and beverages starting in January. And they’re planning to use $3.93 million from their review of third-quarter spending to cover the cost of the middle school after-school programs next year.
“Everything that I’ve been fighting for over this past month has … gone to something,” Mehta said. “These programs are saved, and they’re going to help me continue growing into eighth grade and shape my future as an individual.”
At the last debate team meeting of the school year, Mehta said he and his peers had conflicting emotions. They suspected funding for the programs might not be added to the budget, and they accepted that it could be the last debate meeting of their middle school careers.
But there was a cautious optimism, he said, and some hope that the programs would be paid for. It’s the same optimism that fueled Mehta’s desire to speak out in the first place.
“As time continued to progress, things seemed a bit dark. The program was on the verge of extinction, the verge of being cut. And then out of that darkness, I was like, ‘You know what? These programs have helped me so much. I’m going to fight for it,'” he said.
Mehta spoke at a Board of Supervisors public hearing on the budget, and he and a friend were able to meet with Supervisor Walter Alcorn. He stressed that through the debate club, he learned how to look at multiple sides of an issue. The Going Green Club, meanwhile, helped him launch a project that aimed to reduce plastic waste.
Over 23,000 middle school students across the county have participated in similar programs, Mehta said.
He’s using his experiences to encourage others to speak up about things they believe in.
“Your voice matters,” Mehta said. “Your voice can make a change. Your voice can bring into this community something for the better.”
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