Unless something is done, the colorful student artwork that decorates downtown Oak Harbor during Holland Happening could be missing this April.

In what had become a tradition during the annual, springtime festival, the store windows of Pioneer Way were filled with art produced by elementary school students.

However, the art show was among the casualties when budget cuts were made last fall. The school district whacked $733,000 from the budget when enrollment fell short of projections.

Now, the school district’s elementary school art teachers are looking to find outside funding to pay for the show.

They met with school administration Monday to talk about fund-raising options.

“They’re very anxious to get out and find some funds,” Charisse Berner, curriculum director, said.

The teachers need to raise approximately $2,000 for the show to happen.

Supporters will approach the Oak Harbor Education Foundation, the chamber of commerce and local service groups asking for financial support.

The art teachers carefully place hundreds of examples of student art work in store windows throughout Pioneer Way before the annual festival begins. They also need time to remove the art once Holland Happening concludes.

Nicolette Harrington, art teacher at Broad View Elementary, said each school provides between 200 and 300 pieces of art for the show. In addition to hanging the work in approximately 20 different stores, the teachers have to work to mat and label each piece. The teachers need substitutes while they set up and take down the art show.

The show provides the community a chance to see student work inspired by teachers paid through a special voter-approved levy.

“It’s our way of showing the levy people what we are doing in the classroom,” Olympic View Elementary art teacher Kelly Gordon said.

Art and physical education teachers are funded through a maintenance and operations levy voters re-approved in 2005.

Last fall’s budget cuts are different from the projected $3.5 million worth of cuts officials have to make in the coming weeks to balance the upcoming 2007-2008 school year budget.

In previous years, the art show was funded through the assistant superintendent’s budget, however that money wasn’t available this year, Berner said.

Another casualty of last fall’s budget cuts is the all-district band festival. The event allows musicians from middle and high schools to interact in one forum.

“In my mind it’s a major focal point in our curriculum,” said Bruce Lantz, band teacher at the high school.

The festival, which takes place in June near the end of the school year, combines the band programs from the two middle schools and high school for a one-night performance.

The night features music performed by every band along with a giant band performance with all musicians participating. He said it’s quite a sight seeing so many students playing one tune.

Lantz said he was surprised to hear the festival was cut. It wasn’t expensive to run and, with a gym full of parents, it provided some good public relations for the school district.

The parents enjoyed it so much that several of them are talking with school officials to figure a way for it to move forward.

The all-district choir festival was a budget casualty too. Rather than have a large event with students from the elementary, middle, and high schools singing, a concert is scheduled March 7 where eighth-graders from the middle schools are invited to perform, said choir teacher Matt Carey.

Berner said the band and choir festivals were funded through the curriculum office, and last fall’s cuts slashed the curriculum budget by two thirds.

She is working with a parent to try and find funding for the band festival and she would like to see a group come together, similar to an athletic booster club, that could help with funding, especially in years when money is tight.

“We’re going to have a couple of lean years where we’re going to have trouble funding those things,” Berner said.