Tim Merrigan of the Parent Budget Committee, an advisory group, said it seemed odd that the budget for direct instruction, out of which teachers are paid, has shrunk by 15 percent over the past four years. We think they're very important in the instructional process. Teachers also need a larger budget for supplies, he said. The group suggested an average of 4 percent raises for nonteachers might be more reasonable. School board member Roybal agreed the district should build its music program to be as strong as its athletic program, from elementary through high school, because studies show music boosts academic performance and attendance.
Little music is available until high school now in the Pojoaque district.
Torres said staff licensure problems and attrition drove personnel cuts, not decisions about individual programs. We have not made any programmatic cuts. But high school English teacher Susan Miera said that, in losing four teachers at the school for next year, programs were cut as evidenced in the new schedule of classes. Torres awaits high school preregistration results and results of a student survey to see if low interest in some elective classes could guide what the district could eliminate. Confusion over financial figures, though, limited the board's ability to make decisions Tuesday.