HAVERHILL — It has been a subject of debate among parents and school officials for almost a year. How often should students have art, music and gym classes, and what can schools do to protect those subjects from annual budget cuts?
Tonight the School Committee will discuss whether the system is providing children enough time in the art and music rooms and the gymnasium.
The committee also will discuss whether schools are spending money for those subjects in the most effective ways possible.
When setting the budget for this school year, school officials considered cutting those so-called "encore'' subjects so students would have each subject for a third of the year. However, the School Committee saved enough teachers in those subjects to maintain the past practice of giving students more regular classes in those subjects. For example, middle-school students have art, music and gym twice every six school days.
New committee member Paul Magliocchetti has asked for a discussion of the subjects at tonight's committee meeting at 7 in the City Council chambers of City Hall.
"I want a detailed understanding of the costs involved," Magliocchetti said. "I want to know exactly where the money is going. Is it being spent wisely?"
He also said he's concerned about the quality of education in those subjects and has asked Superintendent Raleigh Buchanan if there are "alternatives" to the way art, music and physical education are now taught.
Asked about alternatives to the present way of teaching those subjects, Buchanan said "back in the old days" regular classroom teachers taught art, music and physical education in addition to the core subjects of reading, writing and arithmetic.
Some people might see that as an alternative, or "we could just get rid of them," Buchanan said of art, music and gym classes. The community would probably not accept such radical steps, however, he said.
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