Are arts and music programs and foreign language classes now an endangered species in some Richmond Public Schools?

That’s what some School Board members, students, parents and supporters fear in the wake of Monday night’s 4-2 vote by the board to back Superintendent Dana T. Bedden’s “leveling” plan.

His administration is asking about 24 RPS teachers to accept reassignment to other schools or to divide their time between two schools in the district.

Dr. Bedden and his leadership team say the moves are necessary to help achieve his goal of having an average student-to-teacher ratio of 22 to 1 in core classes throughout the district. He said no teachers would lose their jobs in the plan.

On the flip side, the changes would eliminate many elective courses, including some in choir, band, foreign languages, music and the arts, according to School Board member Mamie L. Taylor, 5th District, who was not present at Monday’s meeting.

Charlotte Hayer, president of the Richmond Education Association, lamented that such a discussion was even necessary.

“For me, the real sad, sad thing is that our school system is not funded at a level by the city where we can offer all of those electives and courses that have made our children well rounded,” she told the Free Press on Tuesday.

“If no one ignites their spark for music, for drama, technology and other things they might otherwise be exposed to, then those children might never know what their calling is for a career.”

Board members voted in May in favor of a 2015-16 budget that is about $9 million higher than the current year’s, but about $15 million shy of the $24 million Dr. Bedden originally requested.

Dr. Bedden said there isn’t enough money in the budget to continue those classes. School administration officials estimated they could save up to $1.7 million by implementing Dr. Bedden’s plan to cut certain classes and reassign teachers and improve the student-teacher ratio in certain schools.

Assistant Superintendent Ralph Westbay estimated it would cost the district up to $1.4 million if the leveling plan were shot down because more teachers would have to be hired.

The biggest outcry against the leveling plan came from those students, staff, parents and alumni at the city’s smallest high schools — Open High and Richmond Community High — where students benefit from much smaller class sizes.

After a series of community demonstrations against the plan — which many of the affected teachers only heard about on June 12, the final day of classes — the board had passed a motion from Ms. Taylor a week earlier to seek more community input and learn more specifics about the plan before voting on it.

The two dissenting board members in Monday’s vote were Shonda Harris-Muhammed, 6th District, and Glen H. Sturtevant, 1st District.

Mr. Sturtevant offered an unsuccessful motion to back the leveling plan to reduce class sizes, but to find the money to fund electives slated for elimination.

“I have full confidence that this administration could over the next two months get this done and find a solution,” said Mr. Sturtevant.

Abe Jeffers, who oversees sixth through 12th grade education for RPS, said his staff has worked since February to craft master schedules for the 2015-16 school year. He said it would be all but impossible to make new schedules by the time school starts again if the board rejected the leveling plan.

Dr. Bedden said the delay already had caused some teaching candidates to withdraw and take positions elsewhere.

He said a delay also could cause chaos similar to last year when the administration had to shuffle teachers around well into the school year.

“We moved 19 teachers in the beginning of the school year in October, which was disastrous and highly emotional,” he said. “We’re trying to get ahead of it.”

He said it was the first time RPS had finalized its master schedules before the end of school in several years. He said the purpose was to prevent scenes like in past years when some returning students would sit in auditoriums with no schedules for weeks on end.

Jeff M. Bourne, 3rd District, recalled those scenes as “so chaotic, so messed up, with a kid not knowing whether to go to lunch or go to class.”

Vice Chair Kristen N. Larson, 4th District, said she thought it would hurt those students and teachers who meet in overcrowded classrooms “to push pause” on the leveling plan. She said she received a letter from a Huguenot High School teacher who was “happy” about the change because she had more than 30 students in some of her classes.

Kimberly B. “Kim” Gray, 2nd District, said she was torn on whether or not to back the leveling plan.

“It almost feels like ‘Sophie’s Choice,’ ” she said of the classic movie, in deciding between keeping the arts and music programs intact or keeping core class sizes manageable.

After a respectful debate, Mr. Bourne, Ms. Gray and board Chair Donald Coleman, 7th District, backed a plan from Ms. Larson for the administration to move forward with the leveling plan, while working within the budget to try and offer the electives and to work with the board “on district core values” related to the arts.

In addition to Ms. Taylor, two other board members — Dr. Derik Jones, 8th District, and Tichi Pinkney Eppes, 9th District — were not present at the meeting.