Schools
Art Goes Cyber at Mattituck-Cutchogue School District
Mattituck High School advances its art program on the Internet even though the school might be facing cuts in technology due to budget restrictions.
At a November Board of Education meeting, art teacher Lee Harned discussed her web-based project, for which she photographs student art and posts online for the perusal of the community. Mainly involving high school art pieces, the veteran teacher's website can be accessed through the Mattituck-Cutchogue School's main webpage.
"It will be changing on a regular basis," Harned told board members at the Nov. 18 meeting, adding that she will eventually include elementary and junior high art to the website.
An art teacher for 23 years, Harned taught a Studio Art Advanced Placement course during the 2009-10 school year. The two students involved in this AP course could potentially gain college credit, especially since they scored a four and a five, on a scale of zero to five.
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Under Harned's a lead three Mattituck High School students were accepted to an art exhibition sponsored by the New York State Art Teachers Association and the New York State School Board Association in support of Visual Arts education during the month of October.
However, enriching programs like these and many others are at risk due to a recent proposal by Governor Patterson, in which the tax levy is to increase by only 2 percent for next year, meaning that school taxes can then only increase by 2 percent.
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"I think what he's proposing is morally unconscionable," said Superintendent James McKenna at the meeting.
McKenna also mentioned that the school district needs to start looking at where it can decrease spending.
"You could be looking at program cuts," McKenna said.
Matittuck-Cutchogue's technology department is already suffering from budget woes, McKenna added. Currently, for the processing of 15 reports for the state per month, the district employees one full-time staff member and one part-time worker in the technology department. Each report for the state requires an estimated time of three weeks.
"Now that you can do more the state wants more from you," said board member Douglas Cooper.
At this month's meeting, board members stressed that each of these reports is mandatory, and that the district's one full-time technology department worker is stretched.
