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Budget cuts. These are not anything new in Oklahoma, especially at Oklahoma City Public Schools. For more that two years we have heard about various arts programs being cut and funding being dropped. But what impact are these cuts having in the art classrooms?
A good place to look for the answer is Classen School of Advanced Studies. Classen, in addition to its renowned IB academic program, is the only school in the state to have the nationally-recognized Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) program. To gain admission into Classen through this program, students must audition in one of seven disciplines. Upon acceptance, VPA students begin a rigorous arts curriculum centered around their discipline or “major”. Unfortunately for Classen students, the budget cuts don’t just affect one area, but the entire program.
Usually, the district supplies each art teacher in the district with $500 each year to cover supplies. As art teacher Karyn Stafford puts it, “I teach about one hundred students every year. That comes out to $5 per student, which is nothing as far as art supplies are concerned. We usually have to rely on donations from individuals and from groups.”
Last year was even worse, as the district could not afford to give the teachers any money.
“You can see first-hand the effects of the budget cuts at art competitions,” Stafford says, “The private schools’ stuff is more, bigger, flashier. We would be a force to contend with if we had that kind of funding. That Classen holds its own at these competitions is testament to the enormous talent of the students.”
Classen’s instrumental music departments have also felt the impact of tightening belts. For example, the orchestra department does not receive nearly the funds necessary for regular maintenance and upkeep of its instruments. Classen is a public school and cannot charge its students anything, therefore fundraising is the only option.
Jordan Morris, a past member of Classen’s Jazz Band, talks about another problem. “Most of the instruments we use are owned by the district, and not by Classen. We borrow them from different schools that aren’t using them at the time. Now that there’s no money to replace or repair worn-out instruments, the other schools want their instruments back. We’ve already lost some instruments.”
This is a shame as Morris considers the Classen jazz band a great opportunity to play with gifted musicians and the aspiring talents of his generation.
The problems aren’t just limited to music. Facilities badly in need of repair are not being worked on for lack of money. “We don’t have money for newer costumes, we have to share our practice space with other groups, and our studio has zero heating,” said Lauren Bond, senior dance major.
Faced with obstacles such as these, one would expect the Classen arts departments to wither. The fact that Classen arts students continue their excellence is testament to not only the enormous talent praised by teachers as being “beyond compare and full of character,” but also to the teachers.
Students receive basic skills from the teachers, but the rest is left for them to master. Yet, without proper funding students at Classen and across the state are forced to make due with what they are given.
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