Fort Bend ISD Cuts Fine Arts and Business Programs Year After Year

by Fred Martin
 
Two of the most important things that colleges and universities across this country look at to determine if high school seniors are accepted into their ranks are SAT/ACT scores and extra curricular activities such as fine arts, sports and other competitive events.  Many schools across the state are making cuts to those areas in addition to laying off teachers.  How will this affect our students' chances for entering universities if they are offered fewer and fewer opportunities for extracurricular involvement?

KPRC Channel 2 recently reported on education budget cuts across the state and stated that Fort Bend ISD was now going to charge up to $80 for students to become band members.  While this seems to be a response to statewide slashing of education funds, this is just the tip of the iceberg where FBISD is concerned.  Over the past three years, Fort Bend has been slashing program and instructional funding bit by bit.


In 2008-2009 Fort Bend administration cut 10% from instructional funds going directly to core curriculum departments across the district.  That meant fewer teaching materials, supplies, workbooks, and all of the nuts and bolts that go into basic teacher instruction.  Thinking that wasn't enough, in 2009-2010, another 10% was cut from all areas and programs in education with the exception of Special Education and this was done yet again this year in 2010-2011.  So lets say your fine arts program, English department or other area of your school had a budget of $10,000 (you'd be lucky, by the way, if you had that), by 2009 that budget would be reduced to $9000, the next year you'd be down to $8100 and by this year, you'd be running on a budget of $7290.  That's about 27% cut from all programs across the district in three years.  Don't believe it?  Just ask any department chair or coach who runs a fine arts or curriculum program in any high school in Fort Bend ISD.


Business departments across the district have been slashed to 25% of what they were in 2008.  Some campuses have seen their staffs drop from six to eight teachers down to an astounding two to three teachers.  Part of the reason is the State Board of Education's decision to take away business and computing classes as being a requirement for graduation, two areas that are vital for producing graduates who are ready for the job market.  Now students no longer have to take those and some fine arts classes to graduate.    


Keep an eye on the Fort Bend administration to see if they cut administrative positions by taking people out of Fine Arts, Business, and Agricultural areas and continue to keep their higher paid, unnecessary administrative staff positions that bolster the top end.   Fine Arts just lost its chief administrator.  Who will be next?  And how will our children pay for it in the next school year?