Before New Years Eve celebrations begin, we wanted to point out a New York Times storythat you may have missed while away from your computers during last week's holiday rush. The premier high school for the arts in the city (and perhaps nation), Fiorello H. La Guardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, chose to postpone its annual musical due to budget cuts and now may have to cancel the performance altogether. Now this is no ordinary high school musical - the budget is reported to have been somewhere between $45,000 and $70,000 for just three or four performances - and in a school with approximately 2,500 talented students, only a tiny fraction of those who audition are even able to participate. It seems that with all that talent, the show could still go on with fewer bells and whistles and a much smaller price tag. But regardless (and despite far greater tragedies related to school budget cuts), the symbolism of the city's flagship arts high school struggling to afford its flagship production is worth noting as we enter a new year and contemplate education funding in the 2009 economy.