Evanston/Skokie School District 65 parents and students held a protest against the district’s proposed cuts to the arts and special education Monday night before a school board meeting focusing on budget adjustments.

About 30 people marched with pickets outside of King Lab School, 2424 Lake St., chanting “One, two, three, four, cut administration more,” to demonstrate their frustration with a system they said squanders their tax money at the expense of education and equity.

D65 is facing a deficit of about $3.5 million due to the cost of small class sizes, enrichment programs, instructional supports and special education supports.

Eighth-grader Nora Aly from King Lab was out in the rain with her mother protesting cuts to special needs education and the arts. Aly, who is confined to a wheelchair, said she has not received adequate services in her nearly eight years at the school. A special needs school bus was late to pick her up half the time, she said, and broken elevators were not fixed for days. D65 is considering $350,000 to $545,000 in cuts to special education.

“If they cut from the program, there just won’t be anything left of it,” Aly said.

Aly’s mother, Mary Mrugalski, said cutting money from programs goes against the nature of Evanston’s progressive community.

“My observation is that arts and those kinds of programs make community, and that’s what Evanston is all about,” Mrugalski said. “This is a community that’s supposed to care.”

More than 100 Evanston residents filled King Lab’s library for the board meeting following the protest. Board members discussed a new budget proposal drafted Friday by D65 administrators.

The proposal does not include highly protested cuts to the industrial arts program, and focuses on scaling back programs rather than cutting them altogether. For example, special needs funding would see a $350,000 decrease in funding instead of the previously proposed cut of $545,000.

Three slightly different plans have been presented in an effort to maintain art, music and drama education, as well as library services, to students on a weekly basis. But only two of the proposals are financially viable, according to Assistant Superintendent Lynn McCarthy.

Teachers in each of the subjects may be assembled into fine arts teams that would be assigned to teach at two schools. Another proposal calls for a 50 percent reduction in library and drama staff. In both cases, students would continue to have fine arts classes every week.

“Even with the adjustments (to the budget) we retain programs that are head and shoulders above our neighboring school districts,” said Superintendent Hardy Ray Murphy.

The board also discussed as part of the new proposal a reduction in teaching staff and increase in class sizes. Rather than fire teachers, D65 is considering not replacing teachers who are retiring in the next year.

John Lalley, president of the District Educator’s Council, said the teachers union believes attrition and an increase in class size within state guidelines are the best options. Most D65 schools have classes well below the state’s maximum class size.

“Class size definitely affects classroom environment, and a larger class size is tougher for teachers and students,” Lalley said. “It will change the dynamic of the classroom.”

However, Lalley added the additional burden on teachers would be preferable to cuts in programming.

Board members are also considering a user fee of anywhere between $20 to $50 for specific services and materials, including a textbook fee and activities fee.

The board will be discussing the proposal further at their next meeting on March 5.