Controversy Over BSEP Art Funding

The entirety of the Berkeley High Arts Department was present at a Berkeley Schools Excellence Project (BSEP) Committee meeting on Monday afternoon to speak out against proposed cuts to next year’s budget for consumable art and science materials. Several art teachers and students urged the committee to consider the impact that these cuts will have on the BHS arts community.

This protest came after several weeks of meetings, each attended by the various departments and academics programs affected by the new budget. This week, the arts department made its stand, to the mixed concern and exasperation of the committee, which feels that its ability to meet the dozens of urgent requests is limited at best.

The BSEP Committee is responsible for budgeting the Measure A School Discretionary Funds that pay for “Programs to Enhance Student Learning”, the definition of which has been subject to much debate. Money from Berkeley property taxes, about $80,000 per year, is doled out to fund proposals, submitted by Berkeley students, staff, administrators and community members. Out of hundreds of plans and programs, the BSEP Committee is responsible for choosing the dozen or so that present the clearest goals and highest promise of success. This method of competition often leads to frustration from those who find their programs or jobs consolidated.

The proposed budget for instructional materials, which includes school supplies and federally approved textbooks as well as consumable materials for art and science classes, has been cut to $53,000, from $98,000 last year. The budget has been steadily shrinking since the passage of Measure A eliminated earmarks specifically for instructional materials.
Many teachers in the art department believe that the arts at Berkeley High should be given more attention as a vital part of the BHS community. As state funding dwindles, many positions are being forced to request funds from BSEP, stretching the amount of Measure A funds very thin.

“The art program adresses specifically problems of inequity, and contributes to diversity of learning,” said BHS studio art teacher Jaime Knight. In front of the committee, he issued a grave warning, “Without that money, there will be no arts department at Berkeley High. The decisions are numbers versus need, and this budget will not only impact the highest number of students, but those with the highest need.”

Miriam Stahl, BHS department chair for visual and performing arts, believes that the current proposed budget does not reflect the mandate of Measure A to provide arts and science enrichment to Berkeley students.

“If you polled Berkeley citizens that pay property tax, they would believe that their money is going towards arts enrichment,” she contended, “Our community has a strong support for the arts and would be abhorred to hear about the cuts that have been proposed.”

The BSEP Committee voted Monday to increase the budget for instructional materials to $65,000 for the 2011-12 school year, but several more weeks of review remain before the budget will be finalized. In the meantime, academic groups such as Student Court, the CAS Video Arts and Read 180 hope to have a voice in the debate, fearing that the increased funding will come at the cost of their own programs.