Students March To Protest Sports & Arts Cuts and they WON!

[Breeze54]

http://cbs4boston.com/local/local_story_166152233.html

Students March To Protest Sports & Arts Cuts

(CBS4) AUBURN, MA.

Hundreds (300) of students stood up and marched out of class at Auburn High School on Thursday.
They are fighting to save their school athletic teams, music and arts programs.

In a scenario that has played out in many other Bay State towns,
a $1.7 million budget shortfall threatens to cut those programs.

Two hundred students handed in early dismissal slips Thursday.
(news said it was closer to 300 students)
Then at 1 p.m., they marched out of school and in organized fashion,
walked on the sidewalks to one of the busiest intersections in town.


Students advocating the School Department's Proposition 2 1/2 override,
which carried the day June 20, held a rally last Thursday to drum up
support at Drury Square.

The students are urging people in town to vote "Yes" on a Proposition
2 ½ override that goes before a Special Town Election next week.

"We need to get the voters this time to realize how passionately
we support the arts, music and sports programs,"
said Adam Hughes, a student organizer.

The override would collect an additional $1.3 million through property taxes;
$800,000 would go straight to Auburn schools.
Without that money, the programs will be cancelled.

"We're in the 9th inning now and the community is at bat,"
said William Garneau, the school's athletic director.

Most students carried home-made signs with sayings like
"What About College," "Honk For Sports," and "Chorus=College."

"Colleges will not accept them or they'll accept students from other communities
that have these programs," said Charles Pietrello, school music chairman.

As the students marched along the sidewalks, many drivers honked in support,
while at least one couple drove by with a large "Vote No" sign on the back
of their truck.

Complicating matters is a brand new $40 million high school building, set to be
occupied next fall. Town officials say they simply can not afford to move into
the new building and keep sports, music, and art programs intact.

One major budget buster being cited in town – sky-rocketing fuel prices since Hurricane Katrina.
The town also pays $1.4 million each year to a regional vocational technical school.

In another budget cutting move, pink slips have been handed to 15 faculty members.

Too young for their votes to count next Tuesday, the students are trying to make their voices heard.
Their football team is the reigning Division 2A Super Bowl Champions.
They take great pride in their music and arts.

But they are certainly fighting an uphill battle.
There is a long history of override failures in Auburn.

While the school is not sanctioning Thursday’s protest, disciplinary action
is not anticipated.
Most of the students handed in parental permission slips to leave school early.

Other towns have resolved similar budget problems by charging students substantial
fees to take part in sports and other extra-curricular activities.
Auburn town officials say that wouldn’t be enough in their case.

The Special Town Election will be held June 20 at the High School gym.
Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

I LOVE it when teens GET INVOLVED and GET REWARDS!!

THEY WON!! :woohoo:

VIDEO at the link below!
http://cbs4boston.com/video/?id=[e-mail]


Saving after-school activities in Auburn, Mass.
(6/15/06 6:29 p.m.)
In Auburn, Mass. several hundred students marched out of school Thursday in an effort
to save after-school activities. The budget might axe activities in the fall.
NECN's Andy Lacombe has more http://www.boston.com/news/necn/Shows/worcester/


:)

[1monster]

1. K & R Good for those kids!!!

[Breeze54]

2. That's how I feel too!

I think they did a great thing, not just for themselves but for the kids coming up behind them!

Way to go! Reminds me of my high school days! ;)

[Solo_in_MD]

3. Using the children is the ulitmate poison pill

Sometimes its use is legitimate, other times not. Scenes like this, while good for the locale, make other areas very sensitive to the tactic.

[Breeze54]

4. 'using' the kids?

It sounds to me like it was the kids idea to march! It's their future, after all!
Give them some credit! I think they did the right thing!
Sometimes you have to get in people's faces to get your point across!
Seems to have worked and they had a demonstrative lesson in democracy
and freedom of Speech and Assembly! :) Good for them!

:woohoo: