Alameda cuts music, swim centers, athletics and class size reduction
Volume 12, Issue 7 - April 2008
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Fourth-graders Paul Eastridge and Monaye Robinson practice the xylophone at Washington
Elementary |
The Alameda Unified School District’s Spending Reduction and Reallocation Plan may sound like dry reading, but to students, teachers and community members, it’s the equivalent of a Greek tragedy.
The school district was forced to create the plan to cope with the shocking news that it will receive $4.5 million less in projected funding next year. The impact will be devastating for the 10,000 students in the district, say teachers, administrators, parents and community members.
“I personally think it’s an assault on public education,” says Patricia Sanders, president of the Alameda Education Association. “It’s absolutely tragic what is happening here, as well as in other districts in California.”
The following are a few sample “line items” in the Spending Reduction and Reallocation Plan — and what these will really mean to students and teachers in the East Bay community of Alameda.
Reduction of Grades 1-3 Music Prep $200,000
Inside the multipurpose room of Washington Elementary School in Alameda, third-graders softly practice on their xylophones. The lilting melodies bring smiles to their young faces.
“No noodling,” says music teacher Darren Smith with a smile. He demonstrates noodling, which is lightly tapping the wooden bars instead of striking firm, precise notes.
The happily engrossed students may not know it, but they represent the end of an era. Next year’s third-graders won’t be able to noodle — or even study music at all for that matter. The Alameda Unified School District recently voted to eliminate music — now taught just one hour per week — for students in first, second and third grades.
“The kids love it,” says Smith, who was pink-slipped along with 14 other teachers in the district. (In addition to releasing temporary teachers and laying off probationary teachers, a total of approximately 60 teachers were either released or laid off.)
Smith teaches music during the “prep period” of regular classroom teachers twice a week for 30 minutes, providing them time to prepare lesson plans and organize materials. During teacher preparation times next year, students will probably be sent home early or go to after-school care.
The district isn’t sure what to do with the musical equipment and curriculum it spent thousands of dollars on — and Smith isn’t sure what he’ll do next for employment.
“There are a lot of music teachers floating around,” he says. “That’s because music is often the first thing cut. Maybe I’ll give private lessons in homes. Maybe I’ll go back to school and hope the job market is a little bit better when I come out.” Meanwhile, he tries to stay upbeat and cheerful for the sake of the children. He wants them to enjoy music as much as possible with the time that’s left.
Studies have shown that music enhances students’ academic performance and social skills. Says Smith, “You can justify teaching music for lots of reasons. But really, music is its own beautiful, joyful thing. Music class is one place where, if students make a mistake, it’s gone. There’s no red line circling it. Kids can be in the present and totally engaged. A lot of these kids are struggling academically, but in music class they shine. “Maybe I’m biased, but to me, music should be a nonnegotiable item,” he says. “It’s an investment in our future. I think that when we cut music, it’s a sad indictment of our society and our spending priorities nationwide and statewide.”
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| What the music classroom could look like next year. |
Closure of Swim Centers $120,000
At Encinal High School, the swim team is warming up. The weather is breezy, and some of the students around the edge of the pool have goosebumps. Jumping into the cold water is shocking. But lately nothing has been more shocking to them than discovering that their pool — and another pool at Alameda High School — will be closing next fall.
“It’s not good, it’s not good at all,” laments Maris Santilena, a senior. “I come here after school to swim and exercise.”
Next year, the high schools will no longer have competitive swim teams or water polo teams. “I hate it, it’s blasphemy,” says John Bailey, a sophomore and member of the school’s varsity swim team and a water polo player. “It’s the worst thing that could possibly happen. Swimming is the most important thing to me.”
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| Robin Suralta and Allen Zhai wait for their musical cue |
The impact will not only be felt by those who aspire to break records or earn medals. The loss will also be felt within the Alameda community. During warm weather, the pools will no longer be available for exercise and recreational swimming.
Swim coach and PE teacher Bob Radecke notes that swimming and water polo provide an incentive for many students to keep their grades up. The physical stimulation also promotes mental stimulation. “When they participate in a sport like this, it motivates them in the classroom.”
Elimination of Grade 9 Class Size Reduction $92,000
At Alameda High School, John Byon’s ninth-grade students give presentations on real-life applications of geometry. One student shows how geometry relates to skateboarding and the angles that some boards are capable of making in turns and leaps. His classmates listen attentively. Other students demonstrate examples of how geometry can be used by those who have careers in the fields of architecture and fashion.
“I am able to do creative things like this because we have a small class, 20 to 1,” says Byon. “Geometry is not always the most fun subject, but this kind of thing gets them to buy into it. Next year, class sizes will be greatly increased, and it will be a lot more difficult to teach like this.”
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| Alameda High School math teacher Joy Sigmon |
Math teacher Joy Sigmon has some large classes, but appreciates the small classes for her ninth-graders. She knows that if students do poorly in math while they are freshmen, they are likely to do poorly all four years — unless they receive extra attention.
“It’s really sad, because our kids deserve individual attention,” she says. “With a large class, you can’t do as much one-on-one. There’s not as much time to follow up with problems or to give them the attention they need to help them succeed. With a small class, I can teach math creatively, instead of just by lecturing. I can teach according to students’ individual learning styles.”
Sigmon firmly believes that packing ninth-grade math classes full of students will be a giant leap backward. But she knows at this point the district has no choice. “I just don’t understand how we can be the eighth-largest economy in the world and offer so little to help our students,” she says. “I just don’t get it.”
Elimination of High School Athletic Programs $145,000
When students heard that all high school sports would be eliminated next year, many were outraged and walked out of school. Shortly thereafter, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell paid a visit to the students, urging them to stay in school so the district would not lose more money in the form of Average Daily Attendance (ADA).
“I think our government should pay for our education because we are the future,” says Mariko Lam, 15, who participated in the walkout. “If we can’t get an education to pursue our dreams and our career, it will only take away the motivation of students.”
Jonathan Brown, a junior and a member of the varsity baseball team, says it is a mistake to cut sports. “Baseball is everything to me,” says Brown. “A lot of us have dreams of getting scholarships and a lot of us don’t have the money for college. But sports, in combination with good performance in academics, helps get a lot of us into college.”
Last year, the district eliminated all after-school middle school sports for financial reasons. After a huge community outcry, the decision to cut all high school athletics was partially rescinded.
Under the new plan, at least two high schools will get some funding, but not nearly enough. Coaches say the partially restored funding will keep some athletic programs afloat for at least one more year. “It’s either that or the city will have 2,000 kids on the street every afternoon at 3 o’clock,” says baseball coach and PE teacher Jim Saunders. “Unless we get more money from the state, there will be no money for sports after next year.”
Additional Cuts
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| Alameda High School teacher John Byon. |
The list seems endless. Counseling positions for at-risk middle school students have been cut. Advanced placement class offerings and electives could be reduced. Cleaning of school sites will be kept at a minimum.
“I thought we had already cut to the bone,” says Patricia Sanders, the association president. “Due to declining enrollment, we’ve already been in a downward spiral. Over the past seven years we’ve cut $7.7 million. We have managed to maintain very high standards even with very low funding and have done very well with our test scores. But the people of Alameda vote with their feet. I have heard rumors that applications for private schools have doubled. It’s scary.”
The Alameda Education Foundation’s “Step Up” campaign has raised public awareness. One media event used 100 garbage cans or “dump sites” strategically placed around town with teachers, students and others inside the garbage cans talking to media about the importance of not throwing away public education.
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| Junior Mariela Lopez-Garcia listens attentively. |
For Mariela Lopez-Garcia, a junior at Alameda High School, the budget cuts have been an eye-opening lesson in civics that has left her disillusioned.
“I think it’s kind of ridiculous that Governor Schwarzenegger won’t bring back the money he took away in the first place by taking away the vehicle license fee,” she says. “Schools are the future of California. By making these cuts now, it will only create even bigger problems for California for the years ahead.”
