SEQUIM — The School Board has made $1.49 million in sweeping cuts to the 2004-05 budget that all but eliminates extracurricular activities from the Sequim School District’s five schools.
For nearly five hours Monday night, directors mulled over everything from potentially eliminating a school principal to deciding whether paying $12,000 to water school lawns was a justifiable expense.
In the end, virtually all programs not directly related to basic educational pursuits were on the chopping block.
Included are $339,000 in extracurricular activities such as competitive sports, drama and opera, middle school band, field trips at the elementary school level, membership in the National Honor Society, journalism and cheerleading.
Reductions in academic programs were made in elementary school art, computer instruction and music — representing the loss of three full-time teachers.
Also cut were choir and wood shop programs from the middle school. A full-time teacher and a part-time teaching position are affected by those reductions.
Academic support areas cut include one full-time counselor at the elementary level and the equivalent of a half-time counselor at the middle school level.
The board cut two librarian positions districtwide, which will make the two remaining librarians split their time between all schools.
