Public schools are trimming their budgets statewide for next year, and Coupeville School District is no exception. While I absolutely believe protecting academics should come first when trimming budgets, I was alarmed to learn what has been cut out for the 2009-2010 school year.

Coupeville Elementary will be cutting both art and music funding by half. Furthurmore, these important programs will no longer be taught by specialists. In a community that has such a strong appreciation for the arts, this is a real shame. The school library budget has also been severely cut. My children currently pop into the library before school to get new books frequently, but next year, the library will remain dark half the day.

Across the state, there are stories of superintendents and other administrators in small towns voluntarily cutting their own hours, or taking on two small districts in order to save money. Coupeville School District currently employs one full-time superintendent and three full-time principals. These four positions are not scheduled to be cut at all next year. In a school district as small as Coupeville, this seems excessive to me. Just one of those jobs being cut by half could make a huge difference in funding the arts programs at our school.

Most of the teachers will be feeling the pinch next year, whether it is class size increasing, less funding for special programs, or being moved to a different job altogether. I would like to see the administrators step up and show their support for the children of this community by taking a good hard look at where they can reduce their hours and streamline the administration of the school district. I encourage community members who believe in the arts to contact their elected school board members and voice their concerns as well.

Kate Romero

Coupeville