Parents Upset At University Program Cuts

Parents and students are upset by the news that three University Programs — Theater, Communications and Information Technology — are being discontinued from the regional high schools. Superintendent of Schools Dr. C. Lauren Schoen announced the cuts in her report during Monday night’s board of education meeting. 

“The application review process is complete for all six programs,” she said. “The number of qualified applicants for theater arts, communications, and IT were lower than the 18-student threshold that was proposed. The administration, with the support of the members of the Education Committee, recommends that these three programs will no longer run as exclusive programs effective with the 2011-12 school year.”

The University Programs are a rigorous concentration in six different specialized areas and require a four-year commitment from students accepted into the programs. Students currently in the affected University Programs will not see their course work altered and students in International Studies and Business, Science Medicine and Research, Engineering and Design will not be affected by the cuts.

“Many of these kids have been checking the mail each day to see if they were accepted and have been waiting on this information in order to make their final High School selection,” Christine Christopoul told Patch.

As the mother of an eighth grader who applied to one of the cut programs and a Board of Education trustee for the Franklin Lakes local school district, she was upset not only that the programs were cut, but also that students were not notified in advance of the public announcement.

Other members of the public said they were upset that the item wasn’t on the agenda or they would have attended the meeting.

Last August, the regional school board  the three programs as they're currently run due to historically lower enrollment as compared to International Studies and Business, Science Medicine and Research and Engineering and Design. After continued study and an and the board agreed to wait and in the liberal arts programs before making any decisions on the future of the programs, which are four-year courses of study.

Recent graduates spoke highly of the program on a Facebook page aimed at saving the programs.

George Ahlmeyer, a sophomore at Ithaca College studying Television and Radio production, said the University Programs more than prepared him for college.

“Most of the classes, such as Intro to Media Production, Intro to Field Production, Television Production & Direction, and Fiction Field, have made me aware and given me skills of what it takes to be in the media industry,” he said. “The University Program has helped me choose a major and what I want to do when I grow up.”

“The UP definitely helped make my life at college significantly easier and more enjoyable as well,” program graduate Dave Siegel added. “About midway through my first semester, while I was in a film study class, I emailed Mrs. Eustice saying that the class is very easy for me because of what she had taught me. …

“The UP classroom was also a place where I always felt comfortable around my classmates,” he continued. “I am incredibly grateful for the UP programs for giving me direction in college and beyond and for giving me some of my lifelong friends.”

 Still parents and students are left with more questions than answers. 

“We will begin to review the courses in each of these three programs to determine how these courses will be offered as electives for the 2011-12 school year,” Dr. Schoen said. “Information will be provided shortly.” 

“I think we are so lucky when we have students who know their passion at such an early age,” Christopoul said. “To take this opportunity away from them is a shame.”