Is it logical to cut school arts programs?: Today So Far

• School districts are facing budget shortfalls and are looking at programs like art, music, newspaper, etc. to cut and save money — which is just so cliché.
• Washington's lawmakers want to create incentives for buying e-bikes, similar to the perks for buying electric cars.

This post originally appeared in KUOW's Today So Far newsletter for April 7, 2023.

The best math teacher I had in my entire K-12 experience started every class the same way. He went up to the whiteboard, wrote down the assignment from our textbook that was due the next day, then he sat down at his desk at the front of the room and said, "I'll be up here if you need me." He then got out a deck of cards and started playing solitaire.

That was the best math teacher I ever had. It was my senior year in high school. Before this, I spent years with teachers making me stare (I was really asleep with my eyes open) at a board while they lectured. I barely passed those classes. But senior year, I suddenly scored straight A's in math. How?! Because I wasn't sleeping in a class before being sent home to do homework without the assistance of a teacher. Instead, I was doing math. That classroom was not quiet. Students traded tips and asked how to do this or that problem. "How do you do number 28?" "Oh, I found the instructions on page 137." Sometimes we would just asked the teacher, and he would work it out on the board. It was a process of doing, not sitting/sleeping.

I can't help but think of that experience when I hear that the school districts in Seattle and Shoreline are considering cutting arts, music, newspaper, and other programs as they face budget shortfalls going into next year. Let's run through the logic on this. Schools are there to teach kids, yet in a pinch, they will cut the relevant programs that put learning into action. School districts are basically saying, "We want you learn it; We don't care if you use it." These programs are where learning is active.

Seattle needs to find a way to fill a $131 million budget gap before the next school year. Shoreline is aiming to cut $14 million from its budget for next year. In Seattle, the district has already nixed 74 central office positions, and some teachers are getting displacement notices. A displacement notice is when the district cuts a class or program you're teaching, and you could be moved to another school. This has already happened to one of two music teachers at Washington Middle School. That school will now have one teacher carrying the same load as two. In Shoreline, a similar threat to arts and music programs looms as the school board seeks solutions. The situation has prompted pushback from students and parents in both districts.

In short, the districts are facing budget shortfalls and are looking at programs like art, music, newspaper, etc. to cut and save money — which is just so cliché. The tactic of cutting such programs (never sports for some reason) is an oft told tale. Does this seem logical? Cutting the programs where learning is active; that actually have long-term benefits and educational applications? Music is associated with improved mental processing, memory, teamwork, and math skills. Speaking as a newspaper reporter at heart, this program is excellent for critical thinking and communication skills.

This is like teaching a person to bake a cake. You tell them about flour, eggs, sugar, mixing and molds, and oven temperatures. Then you cover frosting and sprinkles. And then there are the options: red velvet, funfetti, angel food, and pound cakes. All that information is conveyed, but when it comes time to bake a cake, the district says, "Well, we told you about the ingredients, that should be enough."

Read more here.

Following Washington's first carbon credit auction in February, we're now seeing where that money is going. One place you'll see funds diverted is e-bikes.

Drivers who buy electric cars have a few perks, from federal tax credits to Washington state voiding the sales tax. Washington's lawmakers now want to create similar incentives for e-bikes with the House and Senate open to spending millions on e-bike level perks. The Senate has slated $5 million in rebates for buying an e-bike, which breaks down to $300 per bike, or $1,200 for low-income buyers.

A few years ago, as bikeshares started rolling into Seattle, I reported on one company's operation by riding its bike three miles to work for a few days. After the first day, I couldn't walk. Seattle had beat me, and that single-speed cruiser. Another company eventually entered the mix with an e-bike option and everything changed. Seattle became "flat." I liked it so much I looked into buying an e-bike of my very own — I would become a cyclist, a bike commuter, one of those people who screams "on your left!" at pedestrians, or gets snobby at drivers. Then I saw the price tags for e-bikes and that was the end of that.

Since those price tags aren't likely to go down soon, perhaps a few rebates and other incentives could fill the gap. Read the full story here.

The Friday Five: News you may have missed this week, and other cool stuff on KUOW.org

• Why is it so hard to unionize Amazon?
• Elon Musk says NPR's 'state-affiliated media' label might not have been accurate
• King County Sheriff urged to provide more interpreters for non-English speakers
• NW scientists study the promises – and challenges – of offshore wind
• California salmon fishing slated to shut down this year due to low stock

AS SEEN ON KUOW

Fisherman Djomar Hora examines a trap used to capture invasive European green crabs just outside the Port of Peninsula harbor in Nahcotta, Washington. Shellfish growers in Willapa Bay in southwest Washington, the self-styled "Oyster Capital of the World," are alarmed by an invasion of potentially destructive non-native European green crabs. Some are asking for an all-out trapping offensive to corral the invasive species. (Northwest News Network)

DID YOU KNOW?

Oregon is the most "Starbucks obsessed" state in the USA, according to a recent study from PriceListo.com. It's a "study" in that they are considering and comparing a lot of data, but really, when you see quirky lists like these, it's more of a brand awareness campaign. And it works. I now know about Pricelisto.

PriceListo looked at the number of Starbucks locations in each state and lined those numbers up against state populations. The result is a ratio of people-to-Starbucks stores. The lower the ratio, the more obsessed. The top five most "obsessed" states are, in order: Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Colorado, and California.

Oregon has one store per 10,450 Oregonians. Washington has more stores, but the way the math works out, there is one store per 10,710 Washingtonians. Does that basically mean there are longer lines in Washington?

Merriam-Webster defines "obsessed" as "preoccupied with or haunted by some idea, interest, etc." So can we really say these states are "obsessed?" Technically, if there are more Washingtonians willing to wait in longer lines at Starbucks, wouldn't that make Washington more obsessed? Perhaps, this list should be titled "most convenient" Starbucks states, or "States with shortest Starbucks lines."

ALSO ON OUR MINDS

The job market is cooling as higher interest rates and a slowing economy take a toll

The U.S. job market is showing signs of softening as rising interest rates and slowing economic growth begin to take their toll on hiring. Despite the slowdown, employers are still adding workers faster than they did in 2019 — the year before the pandemic. Leisure and hospitality was once again a top growing sector in March. By contrast, retailers shed jobs. Construction companies and factories also saw modest declines in employment.

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