Seekonk Students Fight for Arts Funding

Teachers and students spoke in opposition to proposed cuts in arts funding for the new fiscal year at Monday’s school committee meeting. At least two art teacher positions at Seekonk High School will be cut, along with certain art courses.

Principal Bill Whalen said the arts programs were very popular, noting they impacted a quarter of the high school population. Whalen hopes to keep some portions of the ceramics courses for the fall.

 “If there are going to be cuts, it has to be the least impact on the (students),” said committee chair Meaghan Mahoney. “We do not take this lightly. I think we have to listen to what everybody is saying and go to the table again and say it is imperative that we have these programs.”

“No one wants to cut a program,” said committee vice-chair Kim Sluter. “I think we can all say that’s what benefits (students), but we have to be prudent with our budget. I don’t feel comfortable voting on this budget tonight.”

Town Administrator Shawn Cadime said the school budget was not cut at all. “During our Budget Kickoff meeting with the Quad Board, the School Department was told to build a budget with an assumption that the appropriation would be increased by 2.5 percent,” Cadime said Wednesday. “Unlike the School Department, I am tasked with submitting a balanced budget. Meaning our revenues must equal our expenses. With that, I have been able to balance the FY24 budget. The School Department’s appropriation is a 3 percent increase over FY 23. That represents an increase of $925,947.”

 “As someone who has had a huge passion for art all my life, I strongly urge the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee to rethink this decision,” said Danielle Boardman, a high school senior.

“When you take art away, the world becomes a lot more dull,” said teacher Billie Hoskins. “The arts fuel so many life skills that are essential to a growing and developing brain. STEM subjects are not the only thing that should be valued.”

An impassioned speech was given by high school student Jazz Comtois, who stressed the need for inclusion in schools. “As a person who is diverse in many different ways, we are not inclusive here,” Comtois said. “And we need to be. We can continue arguing about gender identity, stuff like that, but at the end of the day, a little kid can decide if they want to be gay, they want to be straight, they want to be whatever, they can decide that for their own. You can’t tell a person what they can and can not be.”