Has ‘bubble’ shielded Saratoga students from economic woes?

The “Saratoga Bubble” is a term that is frequently thrown around in Saratoga. It stands for the general affluence of the community and how the community is generally not affected by the problems of the “outside” world.

The “Saratoga Bubble” has for the most part shielded the community from the recent budget crisis.

Although many families in the area have made some changes in their lifestyles, most were not hard hit by the crisis.

Junior Clark Rothenberg also felt lucky that his dad was able to keep a stable job.

“I have noticed some major cutbacks in spending, as well as smarter spending,” Rothenberg said. “The downturn of the economy really affects me secondhand, though. Close friends have lost their homes and have had to change their lifestyles to get by. It is hard to hear and watch when I stand for the most part unaffected.”

Junior Cassidy Crichton said that although her parents have been fortunate enough to keep their jobs, her family has nevertheless been vigilant about their spending.

“I think it has affected us to where we have come close to being frightened of what could happen, but luckily we have tried to come out of it,” Crichton said. “Gas prices and taxes, such as property tax, have increased tremendously, so that does not help us in long run.”

Junior Tony Capek also said that since the economic crisis, he and his family have been more careful with money.

“My parents are becoming more conscious about their spending because of the economy right now,” Capek said.

Capek said that he and his friends will often plan to make plans to hang out or do something, but will cancel because they don’t want to spend money.

“Even when my friends and I go hang out, we are more mindful about what we are spending money on,” Capek said.

Senior Ishaan Kolluri said that although his family is not that worried about the crisis, they are slightly worried about the school’s budget.

“In Saratoga, we're pretty nestled in economic prosperity, so as far as I know, [the recession is] not affecting my family,” Kolluri said. “But for the school, I'm sure, given that it's a public institution, money flow must have decreased majorly.”

For senior Venkat Munukutla, awareness of the economic crisis came through media coverage.

“Learning how people were suffering moved me to make changes in my own life,” said Munukutla. “I became more conscious of how I spent my money and appreciated what I had to a greater extent than ever before.”

Principal Paul Robinson said the district has been lucky to avoid many of the problems that have afflicted many other parts of the state.

“The community has really done their part to step up and we as a school are trying to do our part to maintain the excellence we've always had here,” said Robinson. “The students are also doing their part by working along with us.”