Students, Parents In Pennsylvania District Seek Preservation Of Arts Curriculum

The Pottstown (PA) Mercury (5/9, Brandt) reports, "A crowd of more than 100 parents, students and teachers filled the seats of the Pottstown Middle School auditorium Thursday night to protest a budget plan that calls for reductions in teaching time for music, arts, library and physical education to close a budget gap that opened when Gov. Tom Corbett proposed his annual budget." Noting that a number of "well-spoken" students were among speakers opposed to the cuts, the Mercury adds, "Affecting a total of 46 full-time positions, many of them full-time teachers reduced to part-time, the proposed 'related arts' reductions could carve $2.3 million from the budget to close the deficit."