Cutting Out Art, Music, Trips, Etc.

[Jessica at Parenting.com]

Which extracurricular classes have been cut at your kids' schools? Art? Music? Gym? Field Trips?

Has anyone here been successful in getting their school to keep programs like this?

[athomemommie]

Unfortunately it is difficult to keep an extracurricular activity if the child's day is packed full. It is really more about money and the changing of hands of money, you really have to find out where the schools money is going and go from their.

I taught for 8 years in public schools and found that they are adding things we don't need and shoving more and more agenda in our schools through things like "Time for Kids" made by scholastic magazines and other similar big money making companies.

Sadly, the administration was spending a huge amount daily on delivered catering for 30 people in their staff and wouldn't even provide paper of any kind for our kids to use. They expected the teachers to spend their own money so the kids could have paper, truly a disservice to our tax dollars. So, One day all the teachers in my school (35) went upstairs to their offices and took paper from their open storage rooms just so our children could have paper to write on. I didn't feel bad about it because they are the ones in the wrong and should be ashamed for keeping paper away from preschoolers. This is just one example of how you have to stand up for the kids in a "public school" setting every day.

The focus should be more on what is going on that is a waste of our children's educational time as well as the tax dollars? THEN we can fight to keep the extracurricular activities easier because there will be a larger window of time and money available to justify keeping it around.

Or you could just do what I am doing and Home school, keeping all the extra curricular activities you want, spending money how you see fit and having a valuable impact on what is important to you in your child's life.

[big-mouth-burgher]

Both of my boys, 3rd grade and kindergarten, are in a public school. There are about 650 studens in Kindergarten thru sixth grade in one building. Our students have one "special" class a day - art, music, library, gym, and computer class. I realize I am very lucky that my school district has these extra classes as a priority. Our students also go on at least one field trip a year, although they must have an educational purpose. These trips are paid for by our school's PTA, but they must be approved by the principal and board of education. Each grade usually goes to the same place every year. For example: a museum, the zoo, a play, an aviary.

Our school district is rural and not rich by any means. Our PTA works very hard to make sure our students get their trips and school supplies. We work together with the principal and the board of education to ensure the best possible education experience for each and every child in our school district. With hard work and dedicated parents/teachers anything is possible!

[geekgirl33]

In our School district the first things that are going are the educational assistant (not the ones for special ed just the regular classroom aids) Next went the part time office help before they cut programs they will start consolidating schools. That means that they are looking at closing my son's school because it only has 100 students and moving the teachers and the kids to the other elementary schools.

so we are "lucky" that they are not cutting programs.

[BerryEvilQueen]

I have 2 in public school. One started middle school this year. They decided to do something different with how things are for the 6th graders so there isn't time for them to have a music (band/chorus) class during school hours. They are offering it after school a couple days a week. Which is great that they do that because I like the program they decided to do for the kids and easing them into middle school. They did have to cut alot of trips from what they have told us already. They usually have some overnight trips for different grades and they just can't do it. While my other son is in elementary school still, the PTO is suppose to help pay for alot of things but well....let's just say there are alot of questions on that. I think us parents usually end up giving things to the class more then they ever do in the year and have to pay a fee (thankfully small) for our child to go on a field trip or do certain things (such as field day). And as long as they can find some help with it they do have what is called Art Masters here. So they all get art in some way. Not much in music unless in 5th grade. But we really haven't lost anything there.

[megcoates]

I am a high school teacher so no little ones in school just yet...

However, let me tell you what lovely news we had this year (and this applies to all the schools in our state).

We can no longer charge our students for anything. Period.

We can't charge them for field trips--even if the event/location we're attending has an admission fee--we can't charge them class fees which typically goes toward things like, I don't know, buying lab supplies, buying art supplies, buying music, etc. If we have in-school basketball games or anything like that, we can't charge them even if it's meant to be a fundraiser for that particular sport.

The best we can do is ask for a "donation".

Eventually, we're not going to be able to do anything fun.

And we certainly don't have a PTA/PTO because most high school parents just aren't as involved as elementary/middle school parents are.

I would love to take my biology students to do a dig at the Grey Fossil site just north of our school, but I can't afford to shell out the money it would cost to get us there.

[specialeducator]

I've taught in public and private schools. In public schools, paper was allocated, but sports always had funding. In the private school in which I taught, paper was flowing, music was a priority, books for the library were outdated, but a new gym was built.

The education in this country needs a new set of eyes to develop a first-rate curriculum. Threads by teachers reveal the inside scoop at various schools around the country on only4moms.com - quite an eye-opener for me.

[litsiscrew]

No we were not successful, in fact, the schools reply was to give each parent a shopping list of what to buy for their child because the school would be providing NOTHING, not even paper and pencils. So my husband and I were fed up so we yanked them out of public school and put them in a charter school. Much, much better!! But not all parents can quit their jobs to educate their children. We, as parents, have our hands tied!! Angers me.

[Jstrand09]

Nothing has been cut at my kids school yet. However, I have a brother who is still in high school who has to supply his own photo paper for his photography class. If he can't get it for any reason, it effects his grade. Since when do parents have to supply their children with equipment and supplies that are REQUIRED for class. To me it's equivalent to having to buy a text book.