What programs do I want to cut? I don't want to cut ANY programs at all, including athletic and co-curricular/extra-curricular activities. Our school system offers core courses as well as meaningful electives. (and offer them WELL!) The arts are CRITICALLY important to me. My children participated in music, band and art at the high school level and truly love/ed those programs. This foundation is built in elementary school. For some students, these "specials" classes are the only place they feel truly successful and feel confident expressing themselves. Learning how to use a library and being read to is critical to their academic development. I also don't want to see programs "slighted". I don't want to see any teacher truly overloaded. Before I would vote to raise class sizes....before I would throw support behind reducing ANY program, I would look at EVERY OTHER WAY to reduce expenses. In my mind, the first place I would look at is administration and administrative costs. Would that be enough? Maybe not, but that is where I would start.
