EDMONDS — The options are gut-wrenching.
Cut a program for at-risk teens. Trim music classes. Shorten the school day.
These are the possibilities principal Michelle Trifunovic is weighing as she tries to squeeze thousands from her school’s budget and figure out what stays and what goes at Edmonds-Woodway High School this fall.
Electives, including music, art and alternative education, are on the chopping block at Edmonds-Woodway and at schools across the country. Since they’re not usually required for graduation, electives are easier to jettison than English, math and science classes. With most Snohomish County school districts looking to trim millions from their budgets, electives are especially vulnerable.
While chorus and drawing may not be required, they give some kids a reason to go to school and a means of boosting their resume for college or work.
“We’ve been laying out a large smorgasbord, and now it’s like we have two entrees,” Trifunovic said. “We have been accustomed to driving a Lexus and now we’re going back to the basic Toyota Corolla. We have to live in our own means.”
She faces unpopular decisions about what programs, teachers and classes to toss.
In addition to cutting electives and the school’s Explorer program, a life-ring for at-risk teens, she’s considering slashing the number of classes students can take in a semester to six, from eight or nine. She’s also considering synchronizing school start times; currently, some students come in earlier than others, an arrangement that lets kids squeeze more classes into a day.
Anticipating a shorter school day next year, junior Melanie Llona realizes she probably won’t be able to take both the music classes she loves and the advanced curriculum of Edmonds-Woodway’s International Baccalaureate program, which she had hoped would help prepare her for college.
She’s already decided to cut the advanced classes for band.
“I want to be a music major, but I’ve been really academically involved all my life,” the trumpet player said.
As many as 3,000 teachers across the state could lose their jobs as the Legislature cuts spending to fill a $9.3 billion hole in the state budget. They are expected to make their decisions by Sunday.
Districts over the past few years have already made cuts outside classrooms.
More budget problems make deeper cuts unavoidable.
“It’s very painful,” said Jerry Jenkins, who heads Northwest Educational Service District 189, a public agency that trains teachers and school administrators. “I don’t mean to be melodramatic, but the kinds of reductions the Senate budget would require are not cuts; they’re amputations.”
Music programs are always vulnerable in recessions, said Michael Blakeslee with the National Association for Music Education in Reston, Va.
When the economy is good, people see the value in music. When money is tight, they tend to be more short-sighted and support literacy and math at the expense of the arts, he said.
“Whenever these cutbacks are taken, there are no villains,” he said. “There are no school board members sitting up at night saying, ‘I want to get those music programs.’ Hard decisions have to be made.”
Erasing electives goes beyond art and music.
In Arlington, some people suggest dropping the school’s elective ROTC program to preserve teacher jobs and smaller class sizes. In other districts, such as Everett, planners are waiting to see what the lawmakers decide and evaluate demand for certain classes before making the tough decisions.
In the Edmonds School District, administrators are considering cutting teachers and programs at most schools, but the cuts are most visible at Edmonds-Woodway because the school also faces shrinking enrollment and has historically offered more classes than most, district spokeswoman DJ Jakala said.
The school’s Explorer program costs more than others because there are fewer students per class than in traditional courses, and classes are held away from the high school.
A few weeks ago, Trifunovic sat down with Explorer students and told them their program, still led by the same two teachers who started it 17 years ago, is likely to end.
Some students cried at the news. Many credit the program with keeping them in school, out of trouble.
“This program has changed people’s lives,” said Matthew Sanchez, 17. He believes administrators are sacrificing the best shot students like him have to graduate.
“It’s changed my life,” he said. “I went from being a druggie and getting into trouble with the police to starting this program … When I started this program, I got my first A ever.”
Explorer student Lily Bacon, 17, said she hopes the district is considering students’ individual needs before making cuts.
“To me, compared to Explorer, band just seems really trivial,” said. “It’s cool if you learn to play the trumpet. It’s great for you, but I just want to graduate.”
For Trifunovic, there are no easy answers.
In the coming weeks, she’ll continue poring over possibilities — none appealing — to save money in a tough economy.
“It’s forcing a lot of lose-lose situations,” Trifunovic said, grimacing. “There’s no winner in this.”
Herald Writer Eric Stevick contributed to this story.
Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292, kmanry@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
