A trial budget balloon sent up by the Kent School District administration about cutting physical education and music has been met with a volley of letters to the editor and heaps of worry.
The emotions of those I have talked to range from anger, suspicion and questions about hidden agendas. I have yet to hear from anyone who thinks cutting PE and music programs falls in the good idea category, or is even an acceptable option despite the dire budget numbers the board members and administration are staring down.
The folks I have talked with expressed a growing suspicion about what is up with the administration and school board.
I believe this falls into the category of difficult times breed dire thoughts, sometimes best left closed in the cupboard.
We should all be able to agree that no one has a secret agenda to make kids dumber. It is simply real people trying to make hard decisions in hard times.
I don’t think anyone will argue PE and music are not important elements of a well-rounded education. Some may dispute if it is an essential element that must be provided by a public school. This argument is uncomfortable and unnerving, but it may be a part of a budget battle that must be vetted, along with many other hard money matters most of us would have never considered a few years ago.
I cannot resolve a budget puzzle over cutting or keeping music or PE. I suspect someone could float a persuasive plan to cut calculus because only seven guys really understand it.
I’m probably not the best source on education theory because I spent my time in school trying find the answer to an the age-old problem. Could Dr. Strange take Superman in a fight and who really had the cooler cape? (The answer is Dr. Strange.)
However, I can offer one small solution I have witnessed.
There is a wonderful music program nearby called the Maple Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra. It is the single best example of a program started and sustained by a group of dedicated believers in music and the arts. Elisa Lewis and April Whyte have led a growing gathering of young musicians in this remarkable organization that provides music opportunities to youths from Maple Valley to Kent and the surrounding area.
It is well worth the time to check out their website, www.mvyso.org.
Whatever happens in the Kent School District during these budget battles, this is an option and an opportunity to fill a gap that may widen in the coming years.
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