To the editor:
I applaud the Marcellus BOE for being proactive in seeking out community input related to the difficult budget decisions that need to be made for the upcoming academic year. Their desire for an open dialogue was clearly evidenced in last week’s letter to the editor (BOE to hold budget forum).
However, there was one thing in the letter that I feel should be clarified regarding the statement that “funding cuts and the tax cap … could force us to cut some, or all, of the extracurricular activities, such as band and sports programs...” To be clear, band is a credit-earning, elective curricular activity. As I see it, we need to think in terms of three categories of school activities that our students participate in: core curricular, elective curricular, and extracurricular. There is no question that all are important components of a well-rounded education. While we may have to consider the undesirable prospect of cutting some programs, primarily in the latter two categories, we should not simply lump them together as they each have unique characteristics and value.
My children have benefited from their participation in both athletics and the fine arts, and I want to see those opportunities continue next year and beyond. Ultimately, each of us will prioritize the importance that each of these areas has on our children and our community. How each of us defines these priorities is a personal exercise, but is one that should be done by taking into consideration the value that each area of activity provides to all of the students in the district.
Mark Abbott, Marcellus High School parent
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