The Edmonds School District is facing a $6.5 million budget deficit. Some hard decisions are going to have to be made to balance the budget. A community budget meeting is planned for Wednesday, April 21 at Mountlake Terrace High School. At this meeting, the district will share information and ask for input on various ideas about how to make the reductions. Everyone is welcome at this meeting.

Some ways the district is looking to fill the gap are decreasing transportation options, increasing fees for athletics and music, cutting school resource officers and more.

Darin Faul, band director at Mountlake Terrace High School recently sent out an email talking about the cuts to the district music programs:

Times are tough, no question about it. But it is the decisions our leaders make during these tough times that will shape the future of the education we provide to our students. It is during these times that we see what our true values and beliefs are about the best, most effective ways to educate students. What are the most effective and beneficial ways to use the limited resources we have? Certainly cutting arts programs is not an effective way to improve the education of our kids. I have yet to see ANY research showing that achievement, learning, connection to school, self-esteem, or success in school improves with the decline of the arts programs in that school. However, there is ample research showing the opposite is true. Perhaps our problems in education can be addressed by offering MORE arts classes, not fewer. Let’s ask our leaders to use research to inform their decisions. Let’s ask our leaders to defend their decisions as the best choice for our kids and to support that choice with research.
Darin Faul MTHS Band Director

The community budget meeting will be April 21 at 7 p.m. at Mountlake Terrace High Theater, 21801 44th Ave. W.