Maintain Alameda District Funding For Arts-Integration at Maya Lin Elementary

Background: This is the letter I sent to the Alameda School District Board of Directors. The proposed budget for 2023-2024 begins a process of eliminating designated district funds for the arts-integration program at Maya Lin Elementary School. District officials are also proposing that the board eliminate the science innovation program at Earhart Elementary School and close the middle school at Bay Farm (making the school K-5 instead of K-8). The main reasoning given for these cuts is “equity” and using limited funds for the breadth of student needs across the district. Apparently, local enrollment has been decreasing across the island at both public elementary schools and charter schools.

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Hello dear Alameda Unified board members,

Thank you for meeting with community members at tonight's board meeting.

This weekend, I met with some of my congregants to get to know one another. Some wanted to know why I chose to move my family to Alameda to support the Jewish community here. When I visited last Spring, many parents I met chose Maya Lin when it was a magnet school. And I had lunch with a Maya Lin graduate, which further solidified that it would be a great opportunity for my children.

I am a proud graduate of Los Angeles Unified magnet schools. And my children were attending a public Mandarin Immersion program in Alhambra before we moved here. So, as the mother of Chinese Jews, I was anxious about removing both language and Chinese culture education. Yet, those fears were allayed because I had found a school that was thriving and attracting people. Indeed, we too focused on finding a place to live that would zone our children for Maya Lin.

Prior to becoming clergy, I worked at a global tech startup. Yes, there are many jobs in "technology and science" in the future. Yet, I also know firsthand that tech companies seek a variety of skill sets, especially creative thinking. An arts-integrated curriculum is foundational for 21st-century jobs.

I urge you to reject the proposal to decrease funding to the Maya Lin program. Our campus is almost at capacity because families value our arts-integrated model. Funding should be allocated to maintain the program from within the district budget. And since there are no specific opportunities for gifted students, maintaining innovative programming is essential as it provides more equity for kids across the spectrum of ability.

Thank you for reading public comments on this remarkably drastic budget recommendation.

 Finally, please forward my message to the student members as their email addresses cannot be posted publicly.

Sincerely,
Rabbi Cynthia Minster, mother to Maya Lin first and fourth graders