CAPA Concert Raises Awareness Of Potential Budget Cuts

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Current and former students at downtown Pittsburgh's Creative and Performing Arts School took to the stage to send out a "call for help" as the magnet school faces a possible $550,000 cut in its budget.

The theater was standing-room-only as singers, dancers and musicians performed.

The nearly 900 students at CAPA 6-12 are in jeopardy of losing 25-percent of their arts program staff, including as many as 22 adjunct instructors.

Pittsburgh City Schools faces a $38 million budget shortfall and the school board is looking at ways to cut costs.

The proposed changes in music education are significant. At CAPA, the costume department has already been absorbed and private lessons scaled back.

Eighth grader Habiba Hopson told KDKA's Kym Gable, "We hope this raises attention to the Board of Education not to do the budget cuts and keep the adjuncts because they're the ones providing us with this education."

"It's just an awareness. It's not a benefit concert. We're just trying to make people more aware of the importance of the arts," said CAPA graduate Daniel Blumenfeld.

Broadway actor Billy Porter, a 1987 CAPA graduate, was among the performers. The school started a fundraising campaign Monday night to try to offset some of the cuts.

RELATED LINKS
CAPA High School
Pittsburgh Public Schools