School Budgets going downhill

[Preece]

I dont know if its the same with your school but today i just found out that the government cut 75% off our budget in the art department. 75%!!!!! I am one who loves art, im taking media arts aswell as Arts & Crafts and we are barely making it through the end of this semester, which is why i have started a petition. So far (which was half of the day i had) i have 73 signatures. My art teacher told us that this was the biggest budget cut taken from our school in over 20 years! And around where i live (st thomas/elgin county) my school is the #1 school for art programs. I really think its crap because if we dont get finished our final project, we will loose marks and then when we go to apply for college they are going to look at those marks. Everyone knows the final project is a biggy. He said that we would be lucky to have enough money for next semester. I was just wondering if any of this has happened to you. If you noticed that your kinda struggling in certain subjects with the budget.

lemme know whats goin on in your school

[Dick]

My schools could never afford paper. So the teachers couldnt give any hand-outs or photocopies. That was fun.

Trust me when I say, the schools in Nova Scotia are worse off then you.

[Ching]

My school is ghetto. Period.

[wb256]

You guys think your schools are Ghetto, go to pikangikum or allen water bridge.

Any paper has already been used as fuel to keep the place warm {!}


And are you sure it's like, the provincial government that made those cuts? Or was it your school board?

[Ching]

My school's different ghetto from Pikangikum...
My school HAS funding, but won't spend it on upkeep or supplies.... I actually have no idea what they DO spend it on... :confused:
Pikangikum isn't ghetto like Brampton's ghetto.... they're ghetto like, destitute.

[Preece]

And are you sure it's like, the provincial government that made those cuts? Or was it your school board?



I dunno people are telling me its the government (and lately, with the way things are going with money and them, im beginning to believe it)

My crafts teacher said it was the principal but im hearing so much. And im not making this up, i didnt hear it through rumours, you gotta see it to believe it...we are barely making it to the end of this semester.

[wb256]

chances are that's not the government. It's a part of a huge beurocracy, but it has nothing to do with our provinical parliment in ontario. It's your school board making a silly decision.

Just be thankful you had an arts program. Be thankful your school is heated while you're at it. :p

[roman_d]

Pikangikum isn't ghetto like Brampton's ghetto.... they're ghetto like, destitute.
u should see schools in rexdale.

[Legionnaire]

You all should see schools in Quebec. At least you HAD a budget at one point. :(

[Ching]

My school's ghettoer than YOUR school!!

[Preece]

Just be thankful you had an arts program. Be thankful your school is heated while you're at it. :p


who said our school was heated?! WE HAVE AIR CONDITIONING ALL YEAR ROUND!!!

[Former Member]

my school isn't really ghetto, just ancient. you know you need to get a new building when it gets shut down for ASBESTOS LEAKS. Not to mention all the grade school's in my area still have the civil defense fall out shelters in them. I hate crappy public education :(

[Wolfmann]

I dont know if its the same with your school but today i just found out that the government cut 75% off our budget in the art department. 75%!!!!! I am one who loves art, im taking media arts aswell as Arts & Crafts and we are barely making it through the end of this semester, which is why i have started a petition. So far (which was half of the day i had) i have 73 signatures. My art teacher told us that this was the biggest budget cut taken from our school in over 20 years! And around where i live (st thomas/elgin county) my school is the #1 school for art programs. I really think its crap because if we dont get finished our final project, we will loose marks and then when we go to apply for college they are going to look at those marks. Everyone knows the final project is a biggy. He said that we would be lucky to have enough money for next semester. I was just wondering if any of this has happened to you. If you noticed that your kinda struggling in certain subjects with the budget.

lemme know whats goin on in your school

I find it hard to believe it was 75%.

I would talk to the school board trustee and get the exact figures. Some people have a tendency of embellishing. Before your start the petition, make sure there IS a problem.

[Preece]

I find it hard to believe it was 75%.



it is 75% why would i lie about something like that....i checked with the art teachers and they said it was 75% do you think im just making something up to strike a convo because im not.

thanks

[Flashman]

I think you are.

[D-Train]

you know you need to get a new building when it gets shut down for ASBESTOS LEAKS.
That happened to my old high school the other year. They only just remodeled the bathrooms this year, after I leave! How come the new kids get to have soap and TP when I didn't? Wimps...
My new one is so good though. CEGEP rocks, with a TV and VCR in each class, good overhead projectors, and heating into the 40 degree range 12 months a year!

My school's ghettoer than YOUR school!!
My old one is ghettoer than yours, TIMES TWO! (beat that!)

[wb256]

it is 75% why would i lie about something like that....i checked with the art teachers and they said it was 75% do you think im just making something up to strike a convo because im not.

thanks


maybe the teacher was exaggerating. You don't really have anything credible to back up the fact that huge cuts like that were made.

[lost_somewhere]

They were actually about to close down an elementary school(teach both English and French Immersion from grade primary - six) in St. Louis, PE and then give it to the french school board to use but after a lot of fighting and arguing about it they got it back!

The goverment claimed that they had no money to put into it, to keep it going, yet they had enough money to buy it for the French school board and keep it going!..strange i tell you

[SgtIsernewfie]

lol.. My school cut out the music program this year. We have walls that are falling aparts and our stairs are worn down... the only new thing in our school is our auditorium but that was donated to us.. lol. Northern Ontario has it bad...lol...

[Wolfmann]

it is 75% why would i lie about something like that....i checked with the art teachers and they said it was 75% do you think im just making something up to strike a convo because im not.

thanks

I'm not saying you're making it up...I would question if THEY are. I don't believe facts and figures from people who have a vested interest in currying favor unless I see the figures from myself, or they are confirmed from multiple sources.

Don't believe everything you hear, even from a good trusted sources because their source may be wrong as well. Teacher's...in a strike year...have a tendency, and in some boards, a history of embellishment.

[Ching]

My old one is ghettoer than yours, TIMES TWO! (beat that!)
My school's ghettoer than your school times infinity plus ONE!!!1!!! Stamped it, no erasies! :p

Btw... My school's so ghetto, that today, some random group of guys was going to fight me and my friends for our table in the caf... the one we sit at every period of every day... :rolleyes:

[roman_d]

our school has ppl playin dice in the hallways. lol. beat that.

[Ching]

Mine does too. :p
And bhupi (sp) and dominoes in the caf... And we have "Door Thugs".... they don't do anything, except make gr 9s afraid to use that particular set of doors...

[Kass]

Whats "playing dice".

That door thugs idea sounds humorous (sp?), could be fun to try lol.

[Ching]

you know.... dice...
http://www.temptatts4u.com/giant-flaming-dice.jpg
They throw them... and bet money... and make lots of noise... I don't know any more detail than that.

[BudgeBandie]

my school district's budget has been cut by almost 40%, and they have closed 3 elementary schools, and are planning on closing another 3 including my old one. I don't think that BC schools are quite as bad off as Ontario's, for example. Also, we have to pay for the school bus now too.

The school district adjacent to mine has had to close around 10 schools as well.

[Former Member]

Also, we have to pay for the school bus now too.
Be thankful you have a school bus system [Hoarse Senior Citizen's voice]
In my day, we had to walk to school, and for me it was like 1hour away, and i had no parents to drive me so i would walk the hour to school in any weather to get there.[/Hoarse Senior Citizen's voice]

[roman_d]

Also, we have to pay for the school bus now too.

so do we. ttc

[Ching]

Paying for schoolbus = sucks.
If I had to pay, I'd just take transit and get 3 more hours of sleep every night. :)

[263sailor]

hey man, my elementary school was also a deaf and hard fo hearing school. they got tv's from the government for the announcement because well half the school couldn't hear them over the PA and they had to sell them to buy soccer balls for my soccer team to practice...now thats ghetto.

[piper-from-camp]

Quite frankly, better that that money be cut from the art program as opposed from more useful subjects like oh, I don't know, math...science...social sciences. The useful courses of study.

[Ching]

Math and science are only more useful to people who want to pursue those fields.... I'm taking as many arts courses as possible, to help my chances of getting into an exclusive design program (Bachelor of Fashion Arts in Costume Design)
I don't know why everyone always puts the stigma of "useless" on arts and language courses... If English is such a garbage course, then why do so many people fail it?
And fine arts/performing arts develop the brain just as much as math and sciences... it actually has been shown that they compliment each other very well. So they're not useless, unless all the courses in high school are useless.

[Bright Eyes]

Cutting from the art department?

Well, I suppose that depends. Does the school system want to create well rounded students or robots? :rolleyes:

[Wolfmann]

Cutting from the art department?

Well, I suppose that depends. Does the school system want to create well rounded students or robots? :rolleyes:

Art is incredibly important. A reflection of a society's history, science, and sociology/psychology is in it's art. Few understand that.

But when money talks it seems like the direction of students is directly affected. I look at being a school teacher as a privilege, much like being a youth leader, and if you're in it for the money or as a job you should teach at a university then ;)

[PO Texaco]

Well, I'm in private school so I don't have to worry about cutbacks!

However, I'm having to pay $18,000 a year, and school bus and books are on top of that, and the school really isn't wheelchair accessible (as I've found out recently due to surgery), but it's most likely still a LOT better than the public school cutbacks from what I've heard.

[Earlam]

Well, I'm in private school so I don't have to worry about cutbacks!

However, I'm having to pay $18,000 a year, and school bus and books are on top of that, and the school really isn't wheelchair accessible (as I've found out recently due to surgery), but it's most likely still a LOT better than the public school cutbacks from what I've heard.

For $18 000 a year, you'd better be.....
I don't plan to use $18 000 for my first two years of university combined...... I could live on $18 000 a year, food shelter and everything......
What I'm trying to say is, $18 000? Whoa.....

[piper-from-camp]

Math and science are only more useful to people who want to pursue those fields.... I'm taking as many arts courses as possible, to help my chances of getting into an exclusive design program (Bachelor of Fashion Arts in Costume Design)
I don't know why everyone always puts the stigma of "useless" on arts and language courses... If English is such a garbage course, then why do so many people fail it?
And fine arts/performing arts develop the brain just as much as math and sciences... it actually has been shown that they compliment each other very well. So they're not useless, unless all the courses in high school are useless.

Sorry. Allow me to re-state my point...by arts I mean visual/fine/performing arts. The cuts in those are not a huge loss. Social Sciences and those type of arts courses are good, in fact, I take alot of those too (history, philosophy, politics etc).

I just find that there are two types of people in today's world....contributing members of society and the artists (that was a joke by the way).

[Bright Eyes]

... supressing ... rage ...

Why is fine art useless?

[SgtIsernewfie]

has anybody seen the commercial with the man playing his violin on the side of the road.. He's playing some really complicated song dealy and a child walks by and tells him to get a job... it's quite funny...its about respecting the arts..

[Ching]

Sorry. Allow me to re-state my point...by arts I mean visual/fine/performing arts. The cuts in those are not a huge loss. Social Sciences and those type of arts courses are good, in fact, I take alot of those too (history, philosophy, politics etc).

I just find that there are two types of people in today's world....contributing members of society and the artists (that was a joke by the way).
And allow me to restate my point:
Fine arts are just as important as sciences, because they develop the brain just as well. Proficiencies in both science and arts compliment each other well... many talented musicians, for instance, are also talented mathmeticians.
Fine arts courses are indispensable because they are essential to a well-rounded education.

Au contraire, mon frere, cuts in arts courses are a huge loss.
And besides, just because you dislike/aren't proficient in the visual/fine/performing arts doesn't mean that they should be cut back. Cutting back on these things cuts back on the growth and nourishment of raw talent... it makes it difficult for people with that raw talent to hone it and to realise it.

[Ching]

... supressing ... rage ...

Why is fine art useless?
Because you can't get into med school if you take art in high school... duh...

Because all of us are destined to be doctors and nuclear physicists and whatever else has a ridiculous number of prerequisites, none of which include arts courses.

[Dick]

Without fine arts, kiss your TV and Radio programs good bye! And the arts are keeping up with the times. A lot of artistic people tend to go into web-design. You need some kind of creative mind to make an effective site...

[PO Texaco]

Because you can't get into med school if you take art in high school... duh...

Because all of us are destined to be doctors and nuclear physicists and whatever else has a ridiculous number of prerequisites, none of which include arts courses.

Yep, its true, and sad. Fine arts are some of the best courses ever in my opinion, but Canadian universities don't care about whether or not you are well rounded or not, they just want high marks. So, fine arts are useless if you plan to go into sciences. Anything else, it could come in handy.

[Preece]

Quite frankly, better that that money be cut from the art program as opposed from more useful subjects like oh, I don't know, math...science...social sciences. The useful courses of study.


art is no less of a useful study then any other subject. If you dont want to pursue in art then thats fine, but some people do. What would you say if someone said something like that about the studies you want? Yah how bout you sit and think about that for a while. You do realize that art isnt only painting and sculpting. Its also drama, photography, and anything creative........haha you make me laugh

[Legionnaire]

art is no less of a useful study then any other subject. If you dont want to pursue in art then thats fine, but some people do. What would you say if someone said something like that about the studies you want? Yah how bout you sit and think about that for a while. You do realize that art isnt only painting and sculpting. Its also drama, photography, and anything creative........haha you make me laugh

But you NEED math and social sciences(like history and geography) and science to graduate. Whereas you don't need music or art or drama, ect. Sure it's fun and important to some (I am in both music and drama this year, and plan on doing music in CEGEP) but for most the sciences are the courses they need as pre-reqs to get into the programs they want.

DD

[Preece]

But you NEED math and social sciences(like history and geography) and science to graduate. Whereas you don't need music or art or drama, ect. Sure it's fun and important to some (I am in both music and drama this year, and plan on doing music in CEGEP) but for most the sciences are the courses they need as pre-reqs to get into the programs they want.

DD


yah i know that you NEED those things but 75% is ridiculous. But i mean, like....im barely finishing my final project with the budget we have. And if you want to pursue in art in the future and you apply to an art school...and your marks are really bad for your art, then you wont get in...all because of that budget you had back in highschool. It concerns alot of ppl.

[Legionnaire]

I don't see how it would affect your marks. Unless you have a terrible teacher, the teacher should give you terrible marks for not being able to complete something due to his lack of budget. But in the sciences and math etc. you actually need to study formulae and stuff, where it isn't at the discretion of the teacher but very set guidelines. Arts marks are based on effort and the opinion of the teacher, but you need to study complicated things in the sciences that don't vary from teacher and don't get marked on effort. So they have a little more priority.

DD

[Preece]

But in the sciences and math etc. you actually need to study formulae and stuff
DD


you dont need formulae in every job out there you know. Sure your going to need math knowledge for your payments with insurance and whatnot. But for your job? You dont need to know all that to get a certain career. Sure if your doing something that involves that but what if you want to do something completely different? Like....working for something like kids help line, or in the peace corps, or massage therapy? tonns of jobs are out there that you dont need to know sciences. (but math, most definatly...except geometry..because not everyone wants to be a construction worker or do stuff with that)

[Ching]

But you NEED math and social sciences(like history and geography) and science to graduate. Whereas you don't need music or art or drama, ect.
Yeah you do. (in Ontario, anyway)
You just don't need as many, because of the stigma put on the importance of arts courses.

[Bright Eyes]

It's not that everyone taking a fine arts course is going to become a professional painter or musician.

It trains your brain in a completely different way. It's common knowledge that you use different parts of your brain when you do different tasks. Art, creativity, colour, images, spatial awareness and imagination are all right brain activities. Left brain is responsible for names, numbered order, logic, maths and words. To get a wholistic education you need to stimulate all sides of the brain. A person that is primarily right brain will be scatter brained, but creative ... while a person that is primarily left brain will be all order and routine. It is so important to make sure people are well rounded when they leave primary and secondary school because there is no telling what career they will end up in, so as teachers, we have to prepare them for anything.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with a scientist or mathematician that loves art. In the States there is a professional orchestra made up of only doctors and medical specialists. Art and science go hand in hand. It's not an exclusive relationship.

Science may be a prerequisite to get into a science degree at university, but once you get to university you have to fulfill a "distribution requirement." (At least at my school.) In all our programs we have to take a certain amount of courses in each discipline to give the students an experience in all the different fields.

Even if you do become a research scientist and spend you whole day in the lab with no link to the outside world, you will still have need for the arts. So, you've researched and need to make a presentation on your findings. You'll need to design the visual aspects of you presentation, making use of eye catching techniques you'll use in artistic fields. You'll have to write papers documenting your findings, everyone jokes that scientists are the worst writers, so having some experience in creative writing will make your proposals for grant money a whole lot easier to read. And in your off time, are you going to process chemical equations? Many people use music and playing a musical instrument as a retreat after a hard day where they don't have to think about work, they can just have fun.

So the arts may not be important directly to your career ... but think about what it teaches you and alters the way you think. I could say the same thing about science and math too. That why we need to be well rounded.

[Legionnaire]

I had a music teacher who thought like that.

She would constantly be late for class and we never got anything done, not to mention how she didn't actually teach us any music related stuff. And what was her excuse? "oh, sorry guys, I'm just right brained."*sigh*

Still, it is true that a good round education in all subjects is desirable, but in todays world of making money and being succesful, most people are either aiming at sports(which, unless it's figure skating or something like that, doesn't really do much with art) or technical/political careers. A majority of the population is gunning for the big jobs, like engineer, computer programmer, laywer, politician, etc. And so at the high school level they are trying to put more money into courses that will help more people. Arts, although great as it is, isn't the most needed subject out there for people going to CEGEP(or college, whatever). Which is too bad for someone in the arts like me, but it's just the way the world revolves.

[Preece]

I had a music teacher who thought like that.

She would constantly be late for class and we never got anything done, not to mention how she didn't actually teach us any music related stuff. And what was her excuse? "oh, sorry guys, I'm just right brained."*sigh*

Still, it is true that a good round education in all subjects is desirable, but in todays world of making money and being succesful, most people are either aiming at sports(which, unless it's figure skating or something like that, doesn't really do much with art) or technical/political careers. A majority of the population is gunning for the big jobs, like engineer, computer programmer, laywer, politician, etc. And so at the high school level they are trying to put more money into courses that will help more people. Arts, although great as it is, isn't the most needed subject out there for people going to CEGEP(or college, whatever). Which is too bad for someone in the arts like me, but it's just the way the world revolves.


just to let you know, figure skating does have something to do with art, and it doesnt nessecarily (sp?) mean finger painting. Yah alot of people want to get into big jobs that get you big money because you know, money is the most important thing out there right now and prolly always will be, but alot of people want to get into the arts aswell. Alot of artists make big bucks. Acting is a form of art....and look at all the actors out there!!! you cant say that they are trying to put more money into the courses that will help more people because there is just the same amount of people out there who want to pursue in art studies as there is for all the techies and people....you cant compare that...its not fair

[Legionnaire]

just to let you know, figure skating does have something to do with art, and it doesnt nessecarily (sp?) mean finger painting. Yah alot of people want to get into big jobs that get you big money because you know, money is the most important thing out there right now and prolly always will be, but alot of people want to get into the arts aswell. Alot of artists make big bucks. Acting is a form of art....and look at all the actors out there!!! you cant say that they are trying to put more money into the courses that will help more people because there is just the same amount of people out there who want to pursue in art studies as there is for all the techies and people....you cant compare that...its not fair

Dude, I know what the arts are, I take music and drama, and am rather good at both if I do say so myself.

And ok, sure there are a lot of actors out there, but famous ones making the big bucks? There the number starts to dwindle. I'm not saying the arts aren't important. I personally like it the best out of the studies out there. But unfortunately I do not represent the majority of the population.

Plus, if you look even furthur, why do you think people are being pushed into the more technical courses? Because these people, like doctors, nurses, teachers, civil servants are more essential to society than a musician or an artist or an actor. Maybe you don't like it, but it's a fact.

DD

[Loyal Edmonton]

Plus, if you look even furthur, why do you think people are being pushed into the more technical courses? Because these people, like doctors, nurses, teachers, civil servants are more essential to society than a musician or an artist or an actor. Maybe you don't like it, but it's a fact.

DD
amen brother!
If my truck needed to be fixed would i want someone who can fix it, or someone who can paint it to make it look like its working?

[PO Texaco]

This is my way of looking at it:

"How many actresses are waitresses? How many doctors are waitresses?"

The truth is that there is a higher economic demand for doctors, engineers, etc. than for fine arts related proffessions. Personally, I would like to go into acting, however I have to be that 1 exceptional actress to make it anywhere, and I'm not. However, in the medical field there are so many jobs that NEED to be done! True, it's a bottleneck to get into and through university, but once you're through the bottleneck you're set. Fine arts...not so much.

[Legionnaire]

True, it's a bottleneck to get into and through university, but once you're through the bottleneck you're set. Fine arts...not so much.

For arts the bottleneck comes after school when you can't get a job. :(

[PO Texaco]

For arts the bottleneck comes after school when you can't get a job. :(

Thats the point I was getting at, hence the waitress comment.