Mary McVicker: Creative arts, PE important

I was stunned to read the Jan. 19 news article “N.C. schools might cut arts, PE to meet news class size limits.” Hiring new teachers to teach smaller classes should not happen at the expense of firing others.

Our first-grade daughter adores her daily “specials”: Art, Music, PE, Computers and Media Center. Not only does it give homeroom teachers a chance during the day to regroup, look over homework and plan, it is essential to every child’s body and mind to play, create and explore.

My disgust of this N.C. legislature’s decision only deepened when I heard it boasting of its $300 million-plus budget surplus with no apparent intent to re-appropriate money for these teachers and our children.

It will be a sad day for N.C. students if they no longer have their creative arts and PE classes.

Have the legislators forgotten what it was like when they, or their children, were in school, or is it just that they truly do not care? Sadly, the only conclusion I can make is that it is the latter.

This story was originally published January 21, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Mary McVicker: Creative arts, PE important."