“Well, I guess you can cut the arts as much as you want, Gene. Sooner or later, these kids aren’t going to have anything to read or write about.”

–Glenn Holland, “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” 1995

I went to Whittier Primary School this morning. My kids will be going there next fall (I’m sure District 150’s administration is thrilled — I’ll have so much more to blog about now). Jackie, my oldest, has been going to a private school. It’s a small Christian school that’s been struggling to reach critical mass and just couldn’t do it, so it will be closing at the end of the school year. She’ll be going into third grade. Maggie, my youngest daughter, will be entering kindergarten.

So we went to the “Kindergarten Roundup” this morning to meet the principal — interim principal, as it turns out — and the teachers, and take a little tour of the school, and take a bus ride around the block. It was a fun morning.

One of the things we (and some other parents new to the school) wanted to know was what time school started and ended. I thought the answer was a little odd. “This year, school starts at 8:45″ and “lets out at 3:15.”

This year? Why the disclaimer?

Well, as it turns out, I had missed a very important part of the story on this past Monday’s school board meeting. Apparently, one of the school district’s efforts at saving money is to shorten the school day and cut some of the arts in the process:

But officials early on in the meeting Monday said job cuts may not be on the horizon, alluding to discussing late into the night the option of shortening the school day for primary students and their teachers instead. Students would have 45 fewer minutes at school; teachers’ days would be a half-hour shorter.

The savings, officials said, were estimated at $600,000 to $750,000 by reducing what’s spent on part-time prep teachers. An additional $45,000 to $60,000 would be saved by eliminating missed prep periods.

Scheduling changes would make up for some of the lost day and art or music classes could take some of the cuts, officials said, not essentials such as math and reading. That measure is expected to be discussed more at the May 5 board meeting.

Make the day shorter, and cut the arts. That’s how they’re considering saving money. Oh, but they won’t cut “essentials,” such as multiple superintendents math and reading. It’s interesting that they don’t see the arts as “essential.” Research shows:

• Learning in the Arts is Academic. Learning experiences in the arts contribute to the development of academic skills, including the areas of reading and language development and mathematics.
• Learning in the Arts is Basic. Arts learning experiences contribute to the development of certain thinking, social and motivational skills that are considered basic for success in school, life and work. These fundamental skills encompass a wide range of more subtle, general capacities of the mind, self-perceptions and social relationships.
• Learning in the Arts is Comprehensive. The arts help create the kind of learning environment conducive to teacher and student success by fostering teacher innovation, a positive professional culture, community engagement, increased student attendance, effective instructional practice and school identity.

But hey, gotta save money somewhere. It only makes sense to cut multiple superintendents instruction time and the arts.

Hat tip: Billy Dennis and PeoriaIllinoisan.