Priorities Are NOT Art

Welcome back to The Expressionist Magazine

Today in the news a story came on that really made me think.  A St. Petersburg school, in order to cut the budget and save money, decided to cut varsity sports down 20% and junior varsity sports, 40%.  That would mean less games a season and/or one less sport played by that school.

This action was the first I have heard where sports have received a cut from the budget in a long time, but sports usually thrive because  of a huge community effort to keep them with fundraisers in times of budget cuts.  What happened next shocked me.  The parents and community protested in outrage that games would be cut.  They say it’s a vital part of the community and the schools.  They represent the community, and they give the athletes something to be proud of while teaching good sportsmanship and playing as a team.  If they were to eliminate these games it would have an adverse affect on these principles and the community.

When I was in school, my school had some budget cuts.  I was enrolled in a photography class that was cut, as well as a drafting class that was cut due to the lack of fiscal suppliment.  My books were ancient in some classes but our football team had perfect uniforms.  There were no fundraisers for these classes and guess what, the community, the parents and county didn’t blink an eye when they were eliminated.  I am not a very good athelete, and these classes gave me something I could do and be proud of.  However, in my time of need the community thought these classes to be worth the cut.  When was the last time you saw a car wash for an art class?

I don’t remember anyone ever making a huge stink in the Tampa Bay area about a music or art class cut due to budget tightening.  In fact, over the last few years there have been many art and music classes cut, or the entire program eliminated all together in the Bay Area schools.  I can’t recall one protest over this action.

Art brings hand/eye coordination, self-esteem, a sense of pride, all while enhancing the surrounding community with beauty.  Art and music courses also bring a sense of pride to the students and allows them to be creative and think.  It brings the same values and community pride the extra curricular sports do, except nobody blinks an eye when the art or music programs suffer.

Just once, I would love to see someone come forward and fight for the arts and music in our schools as this community did for sports.  The art and music programs are notorious for being the first classes cut or eliminated in tough times within a school.  I applaud Pinellas County Schools to attempt a cut on sports, instead of the arts, however, the arts, music and sports are all very important in our community schools and for our children.  I understand the choice isn’t easy.  Right now, Pinellas County families are feeling what art and music supporters have been feeling and dealing with since the early 1980s.  I only wish there was a non-monetary solution to keeping all these programs thriving in our schools.