<![CDATA[The Talon]]> <![CDATA[The Talon]]> en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Fri, 24 May 2013 09:24:18 GMT 15 <![CDATA[School programs face chopping block: MDUSD faces budget deficit; parents, students and faculty dread cuts to various programs]]> By Onna Nelson- News Editor


Sequoia Elementary Fifth Graders hold signs protesting the proposed cuts to the fourth grade music program at a MDUSD board meeting Feb. 1. The elementary music program is just one of many cuts the school board now must face due to a $4 million budget deficit.

Libraries, music programs, custodial positions, the foreign language department and sports programs throughout the Mt. Diablo Unified School District are just some of the things at risk of being affected in the 2005-06 school year. At a MDUSD board meeting Feb. 1, Superintendent Gary McHenry explained that he and other board members are trying to cut only a few positions in each department to minimize impact to more than 35,000 students in the district. “What I didn’t want to do is say, ‘Let’s eliminate sports and elementary music,’” McHenry said. “But somewhere along the line we have to cut back.” Although the district takes in approximately $5,469 per student, per year, it also pays an average of $54,580 in salary per teacher, plus other costs like utility bills, salary raises, retirement packages and general maintenance. As a result, the school board needs to cut $4 million this year, according to McHenry. Concerned students, parents and teachers came out to protest the cuts, particularly in the areas of music, foreign languages and libraries. “Last year we cut the fat. Now we’re hacking arms off,” said Principal John Neary. Music Program One of the proposed cuts that stirred up controversy was eliminating elementary music programs, which would save thousands of dollars. Dozens of elementary, middle and high school students from around the district came to speak out against the music cuts. “I want to play,” Valhalla Elementary School fifth-grader Matthew Farnitano said. “Jazz Band might be cut. I’m also worried fourth and fifth-grade band will be cut.” Matthew and his brother, Valley View Middle School seventh-grader Andrew Farnitano, brought a petition with over 250 signatures of people against the proposed music cuts. “The music program makes kids smarter,” Valley View Middle School’s Jazz Band director Peggy Vax said. “It teaches discipline, respect and responsibility.” Cutting the elementary music program could affect high school music, according to CV band and orchestra director Mundy Viar. “There’s not one good thing or one right thing to do,” Viar said, “but to suggest cutting a class that directly involves the student is probably not the best thing to do. Once we begin chopping away at elementary music and it becomes easier to chop middle school music it’s likely to affect the number [of students enrolled] at the high school level.” “Arts are considered a core subject under the No Child Left Behind law,” Mt. Diablo Education Association President Mike Noce said in a speech to the school board, arguing that there is no reason to cut music programs. Although there is much concern about the music program, elementary students will only have to wait a little longer before they can start their music careers, according to McHenry. “It would save $300,000 if fourth-grade [music] was cut,” he said. “What’s on the agenda is to retain the fifth-grade program, but keep fourth-grade on the list [of potential cuts].” Foreign Languages Although higher level Spanish and French courses were at risk of being cut, it was voted in favor of keeping levels III, IV and V in high schools. Tym Blanchard, a junior at Northgate High School, collected a petition with the signatures of over 1,500 Foothill Middle School and Northgate students either enrolled in an advanced foreign language or planning to take a higher level foreign language class in the future. “If advanced language programs go, who’s to say that other advanced courses that serve a relatively small group of students won’t be next?” Blanchard said. “Our district’s curriculum is far from competitive when compared on both a national and local level.” Senior Beth Bergum, who is taking Spanish V and French I at CV, agrees. “It makes me angry that they would even think about cutting it,” she said. “[Learning a foreign language] is so important. It gives you so many skills and it’s so useful.” Without student support, such as with the petition, French teacher Darlene Emigh doesn’t think the foreign language program would have survived. “Señora Oksenendler and I really appreciated all the support,” she said. “It was a really great thing that all the students came out to talk.” Neary pointed out that there is no savings in cutting foreign language classes because students have to be placed in a class anyway. “A Spanish teacher is no more expensive than an art teacher,” he said. Libraries Retiree Claire Rogers volunteers four hours every day in CV’s library, but if instructional media assistant Diane Watson or librarian Bonnie Miller leave, “it’s just going to be a horrible mess,” she said. “I don’t know what they’ll do with the books and the magazines,” Rogers said. “It’s hard enough with three of us here with all the books, all the videos.” Watson is also concerned about the proposed cuts. “Who puts books back on the shelves?” Watson said. “Who checks out the textbooks? Who keeps things neat and tidy?” “I can get another job if I want,” she continued. “I can retire if I want. This library provides a valuable service to the students. I officially close the library at 3:30, but kids stay until 3:45 or 4:00.” Without the full-time librarians, students are concerned the library won’t be kept open. “[The school board members] think they are trying to improve our education,” senior Amanda Austin said. “But what are they doing by cutting reading?” Custodians Board members voted to replace the full-time custodians with a roving crew that would spend time at each of the six high schools in the district. “We have to create that roving crew by July,” McHenry said. “What they would do is rotate from site to site. “ However, without a full-time on-site custodian, things might not run smoothly, according to Neary. “Custodians are key,” he said, explaining that without head custodian Len Isenbarger’s dedication and organization, last summer’s construction would have been a disaster. “Instead of four [night time custodians] who couldn’t get the place clean,” Neary went on, “as of July first, we’ll only have three.” Sports Instead of making more cuts, McHenry proposes several other options in hopes of bringing in money to make up for loses, including charging players for buses to transport their sports teams. “There are going to be transportation fees for district-funded sports,” McHenry said. “That is a way for us to offset some of our costs.” According to McHenry, charging for sports transportation would bring in an extra $200,000 per year. Fees would be $100 for a student’s first sport, $75 for their second and $50 for their third if they were a tri-athlete, McHenry said. “San Ramon [school district] charges $300 per sport,” he added, explaining that charging transportation fees for buses is not uncommon in high schools. “The only legal way we can charge for sports is to charge for transportation because we cannot charge for participation,” Neary said. ]]> Tue, 01 Mar 2005 19:00:00 GMT