As a new school year approaches, dark colors cloud the canvasthat is the Mississippi School of the Arts.

Since its inception, the school for gifted students of the artshas struggled to find its footing amid recent lukewarm legislativesupport and questions about need in times of a tight budgetsituation. And although it is not alone, money remains perhaps themost vital concern for the fledgling school.

A new junior class arriving today was allowed to do so onlyafter the state Board of Education overcame some strongreservations in June and approved the second class. Commitments bylocal lawmakers to seek deficit funding, if needed, during nextyear’s legislative session and financial commitments from the MSAFoundation helped persuade the state board.

Another hint of MSA financial difficulties came last week whenthe MSA Foundation asked the city school board to waive or reducethe fee the district receives for teaching non-arts classes to MSAstudents.

City school board members did not decide on the request, sayingthey must walk a “fine line” between the community and the artsschool. Board members alluded to education funding cuts that haveimpacted districts across the state and an expected local taxincrease due to the money issues.

The arts school represents an opportunity for the state to gobeyond an adequate education that has been the legislative drumbeatin recent years.

For its students, whether they come from Biloxi, Oxford orelsewhere, MSA offers a chance at excellence. Last year’s firstclass’ achievements in state, regional and national competitionsshed some positive educational light on Mississippi.

That light needs to continue to shine.

MSA supporters also tout the economic benefits the school ishaving on the Brookhaven community.

Even with a trimmed-down $1.8 million budget this year, theschool can have the economic equivalent of a small industry. Andthat doesn’t include sales tax dollars brought to Brookhaven bymothers and fathers of MSA students.

While the merits of MSA are evident, the financial reality isthat the state budget, in general, and the education budget, inparticular, is tight.

From city fathers, the Parent-Community Council and otherbelievers, the arts school has received strong local support. Thatsupport needs to be continued and expanded, and a strongercommitment on the state level is also crucial to the school’sfuture.

Otherwise, the history of the Mississippi School of the Artswill have been written with sidewalk chalk, colorful but tooshort-lived. And an opportunity for Mississippi to raise the bar oneducational excellence will have been lost.