The world-renowned “Fame” high school is facing a cash crunch that could gut its acclaimed arts programs — a situation so dire some students and parents are begging the institution’s superstar alumni for help.
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is struggling with unstable enrollment and urgently needs to raise roughly $500,000, according to parent leaders — even after the city Department of Education announced Wednesday it would not take money back from schools with fewer kids than expected this school year.
Critical programs face the chopping block at the Upper West Side school – immortalized by the Broadway musical and movie “Fame,” according to the LaGuardia HS Parents Association.
Losing the artistic offerings “would destroy the school,” former veteran LaGuardia music teacher Paula Washington told The Post.
“The whole purpose of the school is a high-quality arts education.”
The looming financial crisis has some hoping to pass the hat to deep-pocketed graduates — many of whom have catapulted from the school’s stage to Broadway and Hollywood — including Jennifer Aniston, Al Pacino, Adrien Brody, and Timothee Chalamet, as well as Madonna’s daughter Lourdes Leon and Billboard chart-toppers such as Nicki Minaj.
“Help us bro,” LaGuardia junior Avery Wernicki pleaded to Chalamet in one of the PA’s Instagram posts on the cash crunch.
A sophomore begged Minaj to shore up their budget gap.
“Help us please,” classmate Kadin Williams urged the “Super Bass” singer.
It’s “a no-brainer” to ask the school’s high-flying grads to chip in and help preserve its prestigious programming, said one father of three who sent all his kids to the school.
“If you’ve got these rich alumni, let’s ask them for money,” the dad said. “Jennifer Aniston, she’s worth a lot of money…If I had that much money I’d write a check so the [parents association] wouldn’t have to.”
The Post reached out to a half-dozen famous LaGuardia alumni, including Chalamet and Minaj. None immediately responded to requests for comment.
LaGuardia is being “forced” to pony up $1 million due to student enrollment shortfalls in 2023-24, the parent leaders warned.
“The school is facing a severe budget shortfall and does not have the funds we need to support the full year of performances, after school programs, supplies, etc.,” LaGuardia’s parents association wrote to the community Nov. 13 in a tense letter obtained by The Post.
“Critical programs across all departments are at risk of being severely impacted,” it said, listing art exhibitions, music performances and the Spring Drama Festival.
The PA has sounded the alarm for months and pulled in more than $134,000 in donations so far, according to the group’s website.
The funding woes stem in part from a “conscious decision” by LaGuardia’s administration in 2019-2020 to slash enrollment to 2,100 students, the PA’s letter said. Previously, an oversized student body was admitted, resulting in overcrowded classrooms, insiders said.
But since then, enrollment has dipped from a high of 2,957 students in October 2019 to roughly 2,144 last school year, a 27% drop, according to state data. The DOE lists current enrollment at 2,303.
Among the city’s nine elite specialized high schools, LaGuardia is only one which offers seats based on a combination of auditions or art portfolios, and middle-school grades. The others use only scores on the SHSAT exam.
Some parents believe a lowering of academic admission standards has driven some families away. Currently, LaGuardia requires a minimal GPA of 65 from prospective students, down from 80 in 2019. It was lowered after ex-principal Lisa Mars was forced out, largely because she demanded more academic rigor.
“The 65 average as the minimum to get in, I think, does not bode a lot of confidence with parents looking for LaGuardia to be a dual mission school,” said a Queens parent whose child listed Frank Sinatra School of the Arts higher on their high school application than LaGuardia.
LaGuardia’s suffers from enrollment instability, in part, because many students who are offered seats choose to go elsewhere, but the school cannot replace them, Ballas explained.
“There should be a formula enabling LaGuardia to have a wait list since the school doesn’t accept thousands of students who audition each year,” she said. “There is no reason LaGuardia should ever have an enrollment shortfall.”
Based on enrollment of 2,303, LaGuardia has a current budget of $34,142,980, or $14,825 per student – 32% less than the citywide school average of $21,825. The budget mainly covers staff.
The DOE announced Wednesday it would resume its “hold harmless” policy not to penalize schools with shrinking populations. The move will restore nearly $334,000 to LaGuardia’s coffers, Ballas said.
