Brandi Watters and Sue Loughlin, Herald Bulletin and CNHI News Service
Declining revenue has meant limited program offerings for some Madison County students.
As Gov. Mitch Daniels slashed $300 million from education last year and property tax caps whittled away at school budgets, area school districts started to tighten their belts, cutting art and music programs.
In Elwood, art, music and physical education programs were axed from the budget this year, according to Superintendent Glen Nelson.
Superintendent Felix Chow said the Anderson school district cut back on the number of art and music programs offered at the high school when the two high schools were consolidated. Although fewer programs are offered, students are still exposed to the subject, he said.
In the South Madison school district, educators have reworked schedules to allow cuts in art, music and physical education without depriving students of the programs completely.
Superintendent Tom Warmke said the district has scheduled each student to have one semester of art, one semester of music, nine weeks of physical education and 27 weeks of fitness.
Both Elwood and Anderson have referendums on Tuesday’s ballot and hope a hand-up from voters keeps art, music and physical education in schools.
Elsewhere in the state, similar adjustments in school programs have been made.
In Monroe County, state budget cuts have taken a toll on several programs benefiting at-risk students, including an alternative program aimed at keeping potential dropouts in school. Other eliminated programs had provided an in-school alternative to out-of-school suspensions or expulsions.
The $6.8 million in cuts “have been pretty serious, if not devastating,” said Janice Bergeson, director of secondary education with the Monroe County Community School Corp. The district also lost 71 teaching positions, which has meant larger class sizes.
John Ellis, executive director of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, is able to share a statewide perspective.
The greatest concern he hears from superintendents “is the ability to provide a quality liberal arts education,” he said. Some have lost — and others are afraid of losing — music, art and physical education at the elementary level, he said.
Another concern is not being able to maintain up-to-date K-12 technology.
In August, IAPSS surveyed Indiana school districts, with 70 percent responding. The resulting data showed that 2,524 positions had been eliminated, 1,267 of those teachers. The others were administrative and classified staff. Another survey was to go out Oct. 15 to determine what happened once school started and whether any of those employees were hired back.
With fewer teachers, larger class sizes “are happening all over the place,” Ellis said.
Still, statewide, “Schools have done an excellent job of trying to keep the impact away from kids, but they won’t be able to do that forever,” he said.