Add the annual musical at the city’s most selective music and theater school — yes, the one from “Fame” — to the list of potential budget casualties.
Via City Room, here’s what one teacher at the school, Manhattan’s LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, had to say:
Paula Washington, the La Guardia chapter leader of teachers’ union and an alumn[a] of the school, acknowledged that it was a “huge loss,” but said it was hard to fault the decision given the broader budget situation. School officials are bracing for cuts of up to $1.5 billion in the department’s $20 billion budget next year. “There are often agents in the audience at these performances, so there is a real loss of exposure for students.” said Ms. Washington, who teaches orchestra at the school and lamented the loss of two violin instructors who have yet to be replaced. “We’re down to the marrow here,” she added. “Forget about cutting to the bone, we’re talking about full level amputations now.