The elementary strings program and education programs of Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and the Yard dance colony have all been spared the budget axe.

Money for the programs was voted back into the superintendent’s shared services budget for fiscal year 2011 by the All-Island School Committee last Thursday night before a meeting room packed with parents and other supporters of the enrichment programs.

The vote returns $11,000 to Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss’s budget, bringing the total shared services budget to just under $3.6 million, up from roughly $3.5 million budgeted for 2010.

The committee will vote on the final shared services budget late next month.

On Thursday dozens of concerned Islanders attended the school committee meeting to protest the proposed cuts and speak on behalf of the strings program, Felix Neck, and the Yard. “I’m fairly confident that any group of parents or educators in this day and age is aware of the connection between musical proficiency and college acceptance,” said Nancy Dole, whose adult daughter Margaret once participated in the strings program. “You need twice as many teachers as you have now, you certainly don’t need half as many. This program needs to be funded and it needs to be appreciated.”

Mr. Weiss had recommended cutting a part-time teacher and an accompanist from the strings program, leaving only strings teacher Nancy Jephcote to run the program. In an interview earlier this month, Ms. Jephcote said that between a third and a half of the nearly 200 students currently in the program would have to stop playing.

“This isn’t just about art, this is about education,” declared Susan Goldsmith, whose daughter is beginning her fourth year in the strings program this year. “Don’t do it to these kids. We need it for rounded education on this Island.”

Other parents rallied for Felix Neck and the Yard, which would lose up to $13,500 in financial support with the proposed cuts. “What I love about these programs is that they aren’t simply done in the school. They bring our students into the community at large,” said Debbie Gaines. “My kids have come out with some beautiful things.”

“[Felix Neck is] creating a connection with nature that helps [students] become the future stewards of Martha’s Vineyard and the world,” said Rebecca Solway, a fourth grade teacher at the West Tisbury School.

“Part of growing up Vineyard is going to Felix Neck,” said sanctuary director Suzan Bellincampi. “We do everything we possibly can to make sure that every child has the opportunity to get outside.”

School committee member Leslie Baynes encouraged the supporters to take a more active role in the decision-making process in the future. “It’s great to hear you tonight, but where were you for the past 15 years?” he said. “We all want to keep everything . . . But you need to support all the children. It shouldn’t be just one section. The community, the voters are going to have to make a decision. We hope to see you on this journey and not just tonight.”

In the end the superintendent recommended cutting $6,500 from financial support for Felix Neck and the Yard and $2,500 from Islandwide choir expenses, and eliminating the $2,000 salary for the strings program accompanist. Funding for an elementary level athletics director would also be cut by $571, and Mr. Weiss recommended reduced work hours for an ELL coordinator and a financial assistant in his office, which would save an additional $47,000.

“We tried to pare down every penny we could to get down to a realistic budget,” he said, “because I believe there will be some pressure on the school committee to get down to zero [per cent increase over last year] . . . I know that everything is on the table and up for grabs and up for debate. This is my best recommendation.” The recommended budget came in at a 1.9 per cent increase over last year.

But school committee members went even further and decided not to back all the superintendent’s recommendations, approving a motion to reinstate all funding for the strings program, Felix Neck, the Yard, and the choir expenses in the budget proposal.

“I’m not interested in amending the bottom line,” said committee member Susan Parker. She recommended that the committee look into cutting salary increases for school employees in order to make up for the additional $11,000.

Other committee members were less concerned with level-funding this year’s budget. “I don’t see why we must get to 1.9 per cent. I don’t see why we have to balance those putbacks with any cuts,” said committee member Marshall Segall. “There are letters to the editors at two newspapers yet to be written. There are telephone calls yet to be made . . . I’m not in favor of trying to get to some magic number at the bottom line. I think that we should take heart from the enthusiasm that we witnessed tonight and get ready to fight. There are things that need to be said, about how all the money we spend in the school budget, most of it is used to stimulate the economy of Martha’s Vineyard.”

The school committee will vote on the shared services budget on Nov. 23.