ATLANTA (WXIA) – Atlanta Public School Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen took issue with news reports about music and arts program cuts in the Atlanta Public Schools for the upcoming school year in the form of a blog post released late Wednesday evening.
In the blog post, Carstarphen pointed to reports from 11Alive News and other local news outlets which mentioned cuts in programs across the school system for the upcoming school year, saying, "…there is a lot of confusion about the status of music and the arts in our schools. In fact, some are suggesting that Atlanta Public Schools simply eliminated all music and arts in one fell swoop. We are not."
She goes on to say that the school system is one of the few districts in the state of Georgia to offer band and orchestra programs.
In a report on 11Alive News at Five on Monday, Kids and Schools reporter Donna Lowry pointed out that the school system would be eliminating orchestra and band programs in elementary schools, which will cost teachers their jobs.
The superintendent's blog did not deny this, saying there will be 10 fewer band and eight fewer orchestra teachers next school year. She does say that band and orchestra programs will continue at the middle and high school levels, but notes that some elementary schools will be sharing music teachers, and that others will not offer band or orchestra. She also says that every elementary school will continue to offer a general music program.
Carstarphen's blog goes on to discuss reductions in service due to budgetary concerns, with the elimination of 368 full-time positions. She says 20 percent of those positions were eliminated in the Schools' central office.
Atlanta School Board member Matt Westmoreland took to Twitter Wednesday evening, tweeting out links to Carstarphen's blog post, and specifically calling news reports, including 11Alive's Monday night news report, "completely false."
