Arts, music and middle school sports programs in Clayton schools will be spared next year, but possibly at the expense of 134 teaching jobs under a cost-cutting plan approved by the school board this week.
The plan is expected to save the school district about $38.2 million and could be altered over the next month before the school board and superintendent settle on a final budget in late June.
As are other metro Atlanta districts, the Clayton County School Board is in the thick of its budget-planning process and heard a number of recommendations from Superintendent Edmond Heatley before settling on the plan approved Monday night. Proposals to scrap middle school sports entirely or turn the program over to the county's parks and recreation department were turned down.
The district has had to cut more than $183 million over the last three years, Heatley said at Monday's work session, and next year is no different.
"You're never happy when you have to cut things," school board chair Pam Adamson said Tuesday. "People lost jobs [Monday] night."
In addition to saving money, the current plan is expected to change the way middle school sports is handled and how teachers teach. Many classes will grow in size -- some high school classes could grow by two students to 32 -- and subjects that some teachers will teach will become more focused.
The head of one teachers' group said the plan caught him offguard.
"We were a bit surprised because we were expecting no teacher cuts," said Sid Chapman, president of the Clayton County Education Association. Chapman said Heatley told him most of the cuts would come through attrition and retirement. Chapman said he planning to meet with Heatley soon to learn details on the impact on teachers.
"I don't know if it's a resulting alternative to saving [middle school] sports," Chapman said of the plan.
Meanwhile, middle school students who earn a spot on sports teams will have to pay a $35 participation fee for each sport. Adamson called the participation fee a "negligible" cost to parents because the district will still be footing most of the $900,000 bill for the middle school sports program.
Stephanie Thomas, a parent of three children in Clayton schools, said the board's plan has merit because it spreads the pain while keeping fine arts and music classes intact. Thomas' two oldest children play violin. Her oldest also is on the swim team, runs track and is a cheerleader.
"With the downturn in the economy, there's no way we can continue operating as we have in the past," Thomas said. "If that takes shared investment from parents, then that's something we need to do."
She was particularly happy to learn arts and music would remain intact.
"There's a strong relationship between learning the arts and fundamental cognitive skills," Thomas said. "It helps them master other core subjects such as reading writing and arithmetic."
In the end, Adamson said Clayton's effort to control its budget is less severe than neighboring districts. Atlanta Public Schools, for instance, announced this week it will eliminate 350 jobs next year to cut about $47 million from its budget.
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