In the coming era of budget cuts to education, distance learning could become the norm.

        The temptation for those in charge of education budgets to trade teachers for technology could be so strong that they ignore the disadvantages of distance learning. School facilities are expensive to build and maintain, and teachers are expensive to employ. Online classes do not require buildings and each class can host hundreds of people simultaneously, resulting in greater savings, thus increasing the temptation of distance education for those concerned more about budgets than learning. But moving away from a traditional classroom in which a living, breathing human being teaches and interacts with students daily would be a disaster. Physically attending school has hidden benefits: getting up every morning, interacting with peers, and building relationships with teachers are essential skills to cultivate in young people. Moreover, schools should be more than simple institutions of traditional learning. They are now places that provide meals. They are places where students receive counseling and other support.

        Those policy-makers are often fascinated by the latest technology in education and its potential to “transform” education overnight. But online education does not allow a teacher to keep a struggling student after class and offer help. Educational videos may deliver academic content, but they are unable to make eye contact or assess a student’s level of engagement. Distance education will never match the personal teaching in a traditional classroom. In their first 18 years of life, American children spend only 9% of their time in school. Yet teachers are expected to prepare them to be responsible citizens, cultivate their social skills, encourage successful time management, and enhance their capacity to flourish in an increasingly harsh labor market. Given these expectations, schools should not become permanently “remote”.

        The power of the classroom is rooted in the humanity of the people gathered in the same place, at the same time. Personal teaching is about teachers showing students a higher path, and about young people going through the process together. Technology, no matter how advanced, should simply be a tool of a good teacher.

解析：B。根据题干中的distance learning could become the norm可定位至原文第一段。该段提到，在即将到来的教育预算削减（budget cuts to education）时代，远程学习可能会成为常态。随后在第二段提到了负责教育预算的人对于远程教学的偏好。由此可知，教育预算的削减是致使远程学习可能成为常态的主要原因，故B项为正确答案。

错项排除：A项和C项分别利用原文中的technology和School facilities设置干扰，但原文中并未提到技术进步和学校设施短缺是远程学习成为常态的原因，故排除这两项。D项利用原文中的good teachers进行干扰，但Lack在原文中无依据，故排除。