The Cost Is Modest, The Loss Is Not - What's At Stake For The Watauga Theater Department

Rachel Ingram, who plans to attend the North Carolina School of the Arts for Stage Management, speaks at the Watauga Board meeting about the impact the Watauga Theater Department has had on her time at the high school. Photo credit: Charlie Stumb, Watauga Yearbook

Carrie Bradbury, Review Desk Lead and Selah Greer, Editor of The Spark

175 students enrolled this year. Over 100 rehearsal hours for the spring musical. 65 Ross Auditorium events staffed by technical theater students annually. 5 state championships, 3 of them in the past 6 years, and an entire community impacted. 

Since its inception in 1987, the Watauga High School Theater Program has evolved into one of the best in the region through the work of students, teachers, and the support of the community. Despite the past success of the Watauga High School Theater Program, a reduction in state funding is placing the department’s past legacy and future survival in question. Ms. Sarah Miller, one of the two theater teachers, has announced her retirement. While no decision has been made, currently Watauga County has not posted her position.

At the Watauga School Board meeting on Monday April 13, Central Office personnel, the Board of Education, and community stakeholders discussed the future of the program. The first of such presentations was Assistant Superintendent and Director of Human Resources, Dr. Chris Blanton. He presented a summary of what has happened to the budget in the past, why it is an issue now, and what might happen in the future, with a heavy focus on the details involving the Theatre Department.

“I do think it's important for everybody to know where we're coming from, when we're making these decisions, so that you understand how decisions are made and why decisions are made,” said Blanton.

Making decisions about the County's budget, identifying what programs continue and which ones have to downsize, is not a choice that anyone wants to make, but it is a choice the School Board must face if it is to continue its commitment to fiscal responsibility.

“School funding is incredibly complicated. What a lot of people don't know is that 86% of our budget is spent on people,” said Blanton. “All the money that we get, almost 90% is spent on people. It's also directly related to the number of students who are enrolled in our school district.”

By comparing the number of kindergartners predicted to join the school system next year to the set budget made to pay teachers, it is apparent to the Board that staffing cuts will have to be made in response to decreasing enrollment. Throughout the County, fewer students will be attending schools daily, therefore, fewer teachers will be necessary.

“We get one teacher for every 18 students in our ADM [Average Daily Membership]. K-3 class sizes are mandated, but basically what that means is that we can't go over the maximum number of students that they'll let us have in K-3,” said Blanton. “When you get to 4th grade, there's not a maximum number of students that we can have.”

Protecting the set number of students per teacher in each grade allows for manageable class sizes and individual attention to students who need it. Cutting teachers in elementary and middle school, or mandatory classes at the high school, will force class sizes to be larger, which will put heightened stress on those students and educators. Instead, high school exploratory classes, which are not required for graduation, are feeling the effects of the reduction in state funding.

“Reducing positions does not necessarily mean that we're eliminating programs. If we can't post a position, it doesn't mean that we don't have the program,” said Blanton. “Does it mean that less students are able to enroll in some of the courses? It might. It just kind of depends on how the schedule falls and it depends on each individual specific student.”

Parents and students chose to speak during the public comment section of the Board meeting. Many students and parents used this opportunity to include their personal experiences with the Theater Department, or the experiences of their children and peers. One of these speakers was Chris Osmond, a parent of two alumni from the program.

“What I learned from Dr. Blanton's presentation was that the question for you all isn't if you're going to cut something next year, it's what you're going to cut,” said Osmond. “So the question seems to me to become one of trade-offs of value.”

What is the value of theater? Many who spoke during public comment Monday night drew attention to countless benefits theater provides to both the students involved and to the entire community. 

For those who spoke at the meeting, theater is far more than just “an acting class,” and the wide variety of skills learned in the classroom, backstage, and under the heat of the spotlight prepare students to enter a world where leadership, confidence, teamwork, and organization are increasingly sought after. 

“Theater class has never been about producing the next Broadway or Hollywood star,” said Rachel Ingram, a senior, during public comment. “Rather, [Mr. Walker and Ms. Miller] take an approach on building 21st Century skills. Whether it's public speaking, Google Drive organization, teamwork, empathy, reading comprehension, analyzing, writing, or creativity, the list of skills that can be gained in theater class is endless, and they can be applied to any career field anywhere, anytime.”

Adrian Tait, the former Director of Workforce Development in the High Country, has years of experience working and talking with employers in the region. His son, Rowan Tait, graduated last year and was involved in the theater program and Playmakers.

“You know what skills [employers] look for? Soft skills. It's not the hard technical skills. Employers say they'll train on those, but really it's about the soft skills - leadership, teamwork, showing up,” Tait said. “The theater arts program, I would argue, is actually that leadership training program, that soft skills training program, in a very fun costume.”

The opportunities to master real world, marketable skills is something the Theater Department provides, but on a more personal level, it provides a community and self-confidence that has transformed countless students' lives.

“When I came to high school, I was lonely and anxious and self conscious, but my very first class, on my very first day, of the big, brand new high school, was Ms. Miller's Theater I,” said sophomore Aspen Hickman. “That class, and eventually the musical, and later Playmakers, has taught me how to be confident in myself. This year, I wrote and performed a play with 20 other people. I learned how to work with others, even when it is very, very difficult.”

As speaker after speaker was called forward during public comment, the impact of the theater department on not only the students involved, but on the entire community, became increasingly evident. 

“The Watauga Theater Department is not just students,” said Sue Alice Sauthoff, parent of theater student Brecken Sauthoff.  “It is the community. It represents Watauga. We saw that more than ever during the recovery from Helene. They were able to come together [and write ‘Surge’], and Sarah and Zach created a safe space, not only for students to heal from what happened, but for our entire community to heal.”

The students and parents who spoke are worried the proposed cuts might be detrimental to the future of the theater arts department and shortchange years of hard work by the educators and students who have dedicated their effort and time to ensure the program's success.

“When something like this is scaled back, it is incredibly difficult to rebuild. This program didn't become what it is overnight. It took years of commitment, dedication, support, hard work, and belief,” said Haley Walton, former theater student and lifelong member of the community. “So tonight, I'm simply asking that the same level of commitment continue.”

Despite the value of Watauga’s Theater Arts Department, evidenced by the number of speakers who attended the Board meeting on behalf of the program, the reduction in state funding remains an issue, along with the difficult decision of whether to rehire the second theater educator. But, for those who have been personally impacted by the Watauga Theater Department, choosing not to rehire Ms. Miller’s position would have consequences far greater than dollars saved. 

“The cost is modest,” said Tyler Osmond, a theater graduate. “The loss is not.”