Parents petition against school cuts
Published 12:00 am Friday, May 30, 2003
Parents in Austin are not quietly accepting cuts to elementary school programs.
Petitions have been passed around in parks, T-ball games and on the street by parents representing all four Austin public elementary schools in an effort tell district officials and school board members to reconsider recent reductions in music, art, physical education and computer classes.
"Just about everyone I approached has been willing to sign, and I get the feeling from them that isn't there some trimming off at the top we can do?" said Saralyn Whalen, president of the Neveln Parent-Teacher Council (PTC).
At the May 8 special meeting, the school board voted to eliminate a number of specialist positions, replacing them with classroom teachers to ease upcoming budget problems while reducing class sizes in the fourth and fifth grades.
The petitions list five complaints:
n the reduction in kindergarten class time
n the elimination of kindergarten specialists in art, music and physical education
n the reduction in art, music and physical education instruction for first through third graders
n reduction of librarians at all four elementary schools
n the elimination of an on-site computer media specialist.
The PTC organized the process of getting signatures.
Southgate PTC president Kathy Ewing and Whalen said they each have a couple hundred signatures from their schools' efforts. They will continue to gather signatures throughout the next week along with the Banfield and Sumner crews, and a delegate will present the petitions at the June 9 school board meeting.
Ewing said people are aware of the reductions, but do not know how to help. The petitions offer them that opportunity.
"The little bit they can do is put their name down and say, 'Yes, I am concerned about these cuts,'" she said.
Both Whalen and Ewing said they understand budget cuts are necessary, but they and many parents feel that there are more options to explore including donations of time and money or cuts to other areas.
"To cut the youngest kids first seems unfair, and we just want to be listened to," Ewing said.
"We feel like the kids are losing out," Whalen said.