One North Park Elementary School class built freestanding circus animals from wire. Another group of students crafted mobile paper fans balanced to delicately rotate when picked up.

The lesson was based on the life of American artist Alexander Calder, known for his mobile sculptures and, yes, toys featuring circus animals. But students don’t just study an artist and his work; they experience it as part of their art workshops.

“I want them to be creative and free with the materials,” art chairwoman Susan Blake said.

At a time when many schools have cut supply-budget-draining art classes North Park students are practicing kinetic art, color theory and shading thanks to the school’s Parent-Teacher Association.

 “In light of budget cuts, I would never be able to afford something like this on my school site budget,” Principal Pete Bland said. “I wouldn’t be able to afford it — bottom line.”

As state funding to the 917-student elementary school continues to dwindle, the PTA’s donation-drive budget has grown in the last three years, pushing past $200,000 and $250,000, PTA President Anna Stonefield said.

“Right now, PTA’s role is to fill in the budget gap that’s coming from Sacramento,” Stonefield said.
North Park PTA keeps a comprehensive annual budget of $280,000, which is among the biggest — if not the biggest — for Santa Clarita Valley PTAs. Its membership base is at about 930, with 25 chairman positions filled by parents who keep track of specific school programs and events.

The PTA is behind numerous school programs ranging from the annual Health Week and Red Ribbon Week to its theater and art programs, Stonefield said. The PTA annually donates about $5,000 so that the school library can add and replace books.

The art program is funded with about $9,000, Stonefield said. The PTA puts Smart Boards, interactive whiteboards worth about $26,000 each, in elementary school classrooms.

The organization also provides $11,000 in field trips so that youngsters can visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley and the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles.

Because the PTA is volunteer-based, it relies heavily on fundraising. The annual wrapping paper fundraiser generates nearly $20,000. The PTA asks parents to clip Box Tops for Education and donate them and to shop at Ralphs supermarkets so that a portion of sales go back to the Saugus Union School District elementary school.

This year, the all-volunteer organization expanded its art program to include a dedicated art instructor, Blake, who provides hands-on art lessons to youngsters throughout the school year. The PTA has designed the art labs so that every child receives four lessons a year, Stonefield said.

The program coincides with another art outreach that brings PTA volunteers into the classroom to lead arts-and-crafts projects.

School and PTA leaders say the need for local fundraising and donation drives is likely to continue because the state doesn’t give them enough money.

“In these difficult economic times, it’s imperative that we have partnerships with these parent organizations,” Bland said.