RECAP: WCS budget meeting ignites public discussion

President of the Board Scott Hazelrigg banged the gavel three times. No one heard him.

This was the second meeting regarding the proposed budget cuts, moved to the high school auditorium due to the large amount of feedback received from the community. Of the 15 items on the agenda, public comment was just one bullet point in the middle of a host of non-budget related talking points, but it would last nearly two hours and contain 23 speakers from the district and, more broadly, the Omaha community.

When Monday, March 7 came around, the rows of the high school auditorium were packed in a sea of red marching band shirts, Omaha Symphony members including Ernest Richardson, teachers from all across the district and students and teachers alike. Unlike other board meetings, this one was not held in the conference room at the ABC building, mainly because of the sheer numbers in the audience. Science instructor Angela Bergman took to Twitter to describe the turnout, saying that “this could quite possibly be the highest attendance in Westside 66 board meeting history.”

From band to foreign language, everyone in the room had their reasons for being there; all were concerned that a program they were passionate about would be cut. TV crews stood at the sides in the aisles with cameras focused on the table of board members arranged at the front, waiting for the quote that would be published in tomorrow’s news. Somebody yelled from the back, and then finally, the audience was quiet.

Besides an open forum available on the Westside 66 website, this was the first in-person opportunity the community had to share their views on the proposed cuts. Community members requested in advance to speak during public comment, and tried their best to follow the three minute limit imposed on them for time’s sake, but many had trouble keeping their emotions to just a few minutes.

One of the first speakers fought back tears as she said, “I can’t tell you how disappointed I am fighting for the arts here at home.”

Among the 33 proposed budget reductions, the elimination of a band instructor and the replacement of foreign language teachers with Rosetta Stone at the elementary school level drew the most people to the board meeting. This does not mean that no one else attended, as nearly all proposals had a few community members present opposing the cut. However, District 66 is facing a nearly $5.4 million shortfall, and something must give.

“District 66 is in a similar paradox [to a player playing Jenga],” said Omaha Symphony’s Resident Conductor Ernest Richardson in his appeal to the board. “In crisis mode, in Jenga mode, [we ask ourselves] will removing these pieces [of the school budget] cause the whole program to come crashing down? …At some point, the tower falls. It is the nature of the game.”

Westside teachers, parents, alumni, as well as current students including juniors Ava Bowman and Nyca Gaskill, spoke on behalf of the cause that motivated them. Of the wide range of pleas, the most prominent was a cry for the protection of the arts and language, which the audience firmly believed was the distinguishing feature of Westside from other districts. Reverend David Paul, who was recently made the decision to stay in Omaha instead of moving to Florida, described his feelings towards the Westside district.

“I [was offered] a position at a [large Tampa church], but I said no,” Paul said. “…I said no because my kids are involved [here] in music. I said no because they don’t have a show choir. I said no because they don’t have foreign language. And yes, that was a very hard thing to do.”

Board members were not given opportunities to respond to public comments at this time, but once past the overwhelming feelings of desperation and charged tension in the room, there was something else. There was a sense of community, and as Paul went on the describe, there was almost hope.

“My point is I believe there are things we can do as a district to cut the fat out of the budget,” Paul said. “…I challenge you to act with integrity and character…We are all in this together. This is not a fight.”

The overall tone of the audience was understanding and willingness to cooperate, but also, a sense that perhaps we haven’t reached the solutions we are looking for yet.

To see a full list of responses from last night’s meeting, click here.