What the U.S. Government Shutdown Actually Means and How to Get Help from Watauga High If You Need It

A scene from the "No Kings" protest this summer. Photo Credits: Grant Painter.

Grant Painter, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn

The House floor is quiet. The United States of America currently finds itself in the second week of a government shutdown as the Republican and Democratic parties fail to agree on a new congressional budget. Government shutdowns happen in the United States when parties cannot pass a bill to fund the government for the next fiscal year. 

“Basically, it happens when the amount of time that Congress has allocated money for ends without them reallocating funds for the next few months or years,” said Jamie Wilson, a history teacher at Watauga High School. “Last week, we got to a point where we had hit the end of when funding was authorized for, and they couldn't come to a resolution about what the next authorization of funds for the budget would look like. And so we are at an impasse until they– ‘they’ being Congress– figure out whatever compromise they're going to be able to pass moving forward.”

Government shutdowns aren’t necessarily abnormal. The most recent shutdown before the 2025 shutdown was during the first Trump administration in 2018. That shutdown lasted from December 22, 2018, until January 25, 2019. It was the longest shutdown in US history since shutdowns began in the 1970s.

“People are really difficult to predict, and I think, in the current political climate, it's really hard to make sense of what large groups of people are thinking,” said Wilson. “I think, in general, people get frustrated when the government can't seem to do what it is supposed to do, which is [to] pass a budget.”

While the federal government shutdown is a national issue, even a global issue, the direct effects on the local community and economy vary widely by location. Watauga High School’s administration had some insight into what exactly that impact looks like right now and moving forward.

“Even before the shutdown goes through, we've already gotten those funds before the school year started,” said Dr. Scott Strickler, principal. “So any of those things that have to be paid for through federal funds, any of our federal programs, [haven’t] seen any kind of disruption at this point.”

There isn’t much impact a federal government shutdown has immediately on local governments, especially when funding that the federal government provides has already been allocated where it needs to be. While this may affect the local community in the long run, there’s something that affects us more immediately than the federal government shutdown.

“Based on what I see, the federal government shutdown doesn't have as big of an impact on us as the state of North Carolina not passing their budget does on us,” said Mr. Daniel Machon, vice principal. “That actually has a bigger impact on us than the federal government shutdown.”

The state’s budget affects our local community, more specifically our local schools, because the state budget accounts for more of our school’s budget. North Carolina has a history of not passing the state budget each year.

“Every year,” Strickler said. “Every year. It's been over a decade. They just can’t pass a budget.”

Machon noted that the state sometimes remains delayed in passing a fiscal plan.

“The last biennial they passed, did they not?” asked Machon. “It might not have been on time, but it wasn’t as far out as this time.”

Delayed budgets at the state level create far bigger issues for local school systems. Per student fund allocations are critical to keeping a school functioning. 

“And that goes back to what Dr. Strickler was saying,” added Machon, “because our largest sum of money comes from the state, second from the county, third from the federal government.”

The government shutdown, along with the lack of an updated budget from North Carolina legislators, has broader effects on both the state and the local community.  One of those effects may be the erosion of trust in governmental procedures.

“One thing I think is, and this has nothing to do with anybody in political power, but for federal legislators, part of their job is to pass a federal budget. It would essentially be like me refusing to issue graduation diplomas. People would be extremely mad,” Strickler explained. “So I think any time things like that happen, people just get nervous about it. 
There's a general unease because of all those unknowns.”

Government funded programs, both state and federal, provide a sense of security and normalcy.

“Whether it's FAFSA or food stamps,” Strickler said, “or if it’s affecting a school system budget, or somebody that's on a governmental furlough, so they're not getting paid and they're having to take a forced time off” these have far-reaching effects.

It’s likely that most people you know are currently experiencing some level of anxiety regarding the current situation within the federal government. What’s important to remember is that there are ways to alleviate this anxiety, and Watauga administration and Central Office personnel have plans to keep learning a priority.

“We've already reserved the Convocation Center for graduation. We have the funds to pay for it,” said Strickler. “Unless something drastically changes, we're still going to have a prom. 
We're not going to cancel an athletic season. We're not going to stop the yearbook from being published. Think about all those things that students come to expect. 
At this point, none of those are ‘on the chopping block’ because why would they be?” 

For students who have friends or relatives in federal employment positions or are in that position themselves, however, the situation is likely less than ideal. Because there’s no funding from the federal government where there aren’t reserves leftover, federal employees are either going to work unpaid or not work at all.

“I think what's important for our students to hear is, if the government shutdown begins to impact a student and their family in ways that we don't typically serve a family, 
we would love for them to advocate for themselves and talk to us,” said Machon. “Talk to an administrator. Talk to a counselor. Because we have different resources that we can tap into within our community, within our school system.”

Often, there’s a stigma around having a conversation with a social worker. Strickler wanted to help alleviate this stigma.

“Some people hear ‘social worker’ and think [of the] Department of Social Services,” said Strickler. “Ms. Wandler works for the school system. She hasn't done work for DSS. And so she knows when there's families that may be going through a tough time that may need assistance with paying a power bill or something.”

For students in a position of needing assistance, whether that be due to effects of the shutdown or otherwise, the school offers various resources to help students, and school personnel encourage students to take advantage of them.

“It's about to get cold in Boone. We have resources. If somebody is not used to needing those because they're currently employed by the federal government, but they don't have enough to make it by because they're furloughed, we're not going to judge a student for coming to us [about] that,” Strickler said. “
And maybe some help with lunch. We can try to find those resources, reach out to generous donors we know, or the local faith community, or other means we have to hopefully get that family help, because nobody wants to be in that situation.”

The most important part of getting help from the school, if a student might need it, is letting a trusted adult in the building know. 

“We don't know what we don't know. 
We want our folks to know [that you can] come and advocate for yourself,” added Machon. “
Come and advocate for your family. Come and talk to us.”

Ultimately, advocating for yourself and reaching out for help is the best way to alleviate stress. Those who are in administration, like counselors, are not only happy to listen, but are also happy to provide assistance and have the resources to do so.

“That's a confidential conversation,” said Strickler. “We want to help kids have the best high school experience they can, and if they feel like they can't go to Prom or they can't pay for a graduation gown, we're going to try to help them the best we can.”