Music Plan B

[doctorwho]

okay - right off the bat I look at Plan B closely, because too often here that has been code for - really plan A, after we get everyone upset.

Also SB - we bring back the 19 music teachers - where are those savings replaced in the next budget ? I'm not advocating anyone losing their job, just asking a simple math question as my guess is Plan B already has that accounted for, just hasn't been revealed yet.
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www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/2204058,D204-debates-plan-save-music_NA042710.article



D204 debates plan to save music class
Comments


April 27, 2010

By KATHY CICHON [e-mail]
Even though several board members expressed objections to the latest proposal for music instruction cuts at Indian Prairie District 204, the board agreed it is better than the original proposal.

"I think the past proposal did reach too far," President Curt Bradshaw said. "I think the second proposal isn't 100 percent, but neither is an elementary class size going up five, six, seven, eight kids," Bradshaw said.

For more than an hour the board debated the plan, but no final action was taken on the implementation of what is being referred to as "Plan B." Instead board members asked for more information and further investigation of other options as it grapples with the need to cut $12.2 million from next year's budget as a result of state funding cuts.

After outcry from parents, students and teachers throughout the past two months, the original plan to eliminate middle school technique classes and lay off 19 music teachers was replaced by Plan B. That calls for reducing the fifth grade instrumental program and increasing the average class size for middle school technique instruction. A $30 fee is also proposed for students who play an instrument in grades 6 through 12.

According to the plan, the proposed fifth-grade instrumental program will include a two to three week introduction in the second quarter, in time for sixth-grade registration. In addition, students will receive weekly technique instruction during the fourth quarter and will have the option to continue technique and full ensemble instruction during a fee-based summer camp.

"I think it might be a mistake to call it a good proposal," board member Mark Metzger said.

He suggested the district revisit the proposal to see if restructuring can be done at the high school level to minimize some of the pain at the middle school level.

Board member Dawn DeSart expressed her opposition to the music cuts, calling the value of the district's music program "priceless." She said she has received more than 200 e-mails on the topic.

"I can't be party to our music program taking a giant leap backwards," DeSart said. "I don't want to be the board of education that allows music to die for this district."

As a former music student in the district, she experienced firsthand the importance of the music curriculum, she said.

"I don't know what makes a kid excited to get up in the morning and go to school, but I do know for me it was music," DeSart said.

Board member Alka Tyle said she supports the proposed Plan B, but has reservations about pulling students out of other classes for technique instruction.
"All subjects are competing for the same amount of time," Tyle said. "I think that every subject area, we need to make sure the amount of time that is being used in the day is equitable."

Tyle also said the plan should be cost neutral through student fees.

Board member Cathy Piehl said if any other discussions on technique take place, teachers from other subject areas should be included as well since students are pulled from their classes. She said she thinks it's "disrespectful" to have the focus on technique and not have them at the table.

The matter will come back to the board at a future date.

[doctorwho]

well-- here's the answer in the Herald -- they would bring back 4 not 19 ---

www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=376348

Dist. 204 still trying to save technique program from chopping block
By Justin Kmitch | Daily Herald StaffContact writerPublished: 4/27/2010 12:00 AM.Send To:
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(0) | read | postBuzz up! After a third consecutive heated meeting to discuss potential changes to the $21.4 million budget cuts the district has proposed, Indian Prairie board members remain focused solely on crafting a scaled-down, cost-effective model of the endangered technique program.

In addition to the daily band and orchestra rehearsals, technique classes provide instruction for groups of four to eight students to improve individual instrumental performance and the classes are scheduled on a rotating basis.

Currently, band and orchestra students are scheduled into a technique class once per week in lieu of another class on their schedule. The rotation ensures no subject is missed more than once every four weeks.

The most recent plan to save the program, Plan B as they call it, needs more work but board President Curt Bradshaw said it's "better" than the original plan that would have killed the individualized instruction all together.

Plan B would require the reinstatement of four music staff members and the implementation of a $30 fee for all 3,500 instrumental music students in grades six through 12 to assist the district with additional costs.

The plan also would reschedule the three-week introduction to the music program fifth-grade students take from September to January. The typical technique class size of four to eight students also would likely double.

Board member Dawn DeSart said music and the ability to produce it with the award-winning style the district is accustomed to, is priceless, except for the $1.26 million price tag she put on that could be recouped with either administrative wage rollbacks and other cost-saving moves.

Board members Alka Tyle and Cathy Piehl agreed the "value of music is unquestionable" but not at the risk of students being pulled out of their core classes at a rate of more than once every six weeks.

Educators say they have about five weeks to find a happy solution for all involved in order to be ready for next school year. So they agreed to work up until the last moments with parents, other teachers and the community to find a way to make the program cost effective and while keeping students in their core classes as much as possible and will report back.

"If someone has an idea, I don't care what they teach, said Mark Metzger. "That idea is welcome."

Other portions of the $21.4 million austerity plan, including reducing the central office budgets by a total of 10 percent, renegotiating software licenses, not watering the lawns, eliminating towel service in P.E. classes, moving to a four-day workweek for the summer and cutting conference travel by 20 percent will continue to be implemented since no board members have voiced opposition to any cuts outside of saving the technique program.

[Arch]

Change technique to be during band/orchestra class, and rotate who goes into the other room with the other instructor throughout the week or make it before/after school. That way it only impacts the class it's for (at a maximum) and not any other core subjects.

$30 * 3,500 = $105,000 This is referred to as 'additional costs'. Just what 'additional costs' encompass this $105K that were not there before this year?

[lacy]

I agree with Alka Tyle and Cathy Piel. We shouldn't make decisions based on how many emails are received - or which group was able to rally support the best. The district has operated too long in this fashion.

Decisions should be made based on what is best for students and the district overall. As good as the music program is, it is an elective class. If parents want more than the district is able to provide, parents should pay for it or raise the money for it.

The district's number one concern should be core academics. I don't think you're going to see 200 emails in support of math - or any other core class - but that shouldn't guide what the district does or doesn't do.

[turkeyj5]

This is the first time I have ever gotten angry enough at the district to send e-mails to the board (not that I think it will make any difference). I cannot believe they are willing to increase class sizes, particularly at the elementary level, but are still working hard to find a way to fund music technique classes. My elementary-aged child will have at least 30 kids in her class next year (assuming the numbers hold from this year), so I could care less about kids not getting individualized music instruction at school--that is what private music teachers are for! I understand that some parents cannot afford that--but many more cannot afford private school so that their children actually learn to read and write and have their real educational needs met!!

And just for the record, I could care less what motivated a school board member to go to school. And I certainly hope decisions aren't made based on that. I also hope decisions are not made based on who screams the loudest...

[doctorwho]

Apr 28, 2010 12:11:00 GMT -6 turkeyj5 said:

This is the first time I have ever gotten angry enough at the district to send e-mails to the board (not that I think it will make any difference). I cannot believe they are willing to increase class sizes, particularly at the elementary level, but are still working hard to find a way to fund music technique classes. My elementary-aged child will have at least 30 kids in her class next year (assuming the numbers hold from this year), so I could care less about kids not getting individualized music instruction at school--that is what private music teachers are for! I understand that some parents cannot afford that--but many more cannot afford private school so that their children actually learn to read and write and have their real educational needs met!!

And just for the record, I could care less what motivated a school board member to go to school. And I certainly hope decisions aren't made based on that. I also hope decisions are not made based on who screams the loudest...

you have a right to be angry - the basics are not being taught well enough today even compared to 10 years ago in the same SD -- I had kids in the district from 2001 thru last year to be able to easily see the changes --
as for the private school issue, it is $ painful, but I can only speak personally, it was the absolute right move.

of course had our friends not blown and extra $20M on top of what they had for an unneeded HS, these decisions would not be having to be made today

[casey]

Welcome Turkeyj5. I completely agree with your and Lacy's statement - decisions should not be made based on who screams the loudest (otherwise one of my teenagers would be the leader of our household ). It does appear though that our SB is willing to bend over backward to satisfy the requests of the music parents. I'm not sure what the answer is but as you pointed out, it shouldn't be sacrificing classroom size.

I may get jumped on here, but I personally believe music and sports should be viewed in the same light. If our child participates in an IHSA sport we pay big money - soon to be double. Yet music will cost $30 for the year? Why such a huge difference? How was that number determined? If I remember correctly, a parent presented that amount and proposal to the SB at a previous meeting.

I may be naive but I still think the state is going to pass a huge tax increase and much of the educational funds will be restored. Things will go back to normal. Our district, just like the state, will have learned nothing and will go back to crazy spending and borrowing for tomorrow. The biggest lesson to be learned from this recession should be learn to spend less and live within your means not spend more!

[Arch]

Yes, decisions seem to be made based on emotion and who's yelling the loudest. They certainly are not made based on facts, accurate data or experience.

[lacy]

Apr 28, 2010 12:50:06 GMT -6 casey said:

Welcome Turkeyj5. I completely agree with your and Lacy's statement - decisions should not be made based on who screams the loudest (otherwise one of my teenagers would be the leader of our household ). It does appear though that our SB is willing to bend over backward to satisfy the requests of the music parents. I'm not sure what the answer is but as you pointed out, it shouldn't be sacrificing classroom size.

I may get jumped on here, but I personally believe music and sports should be viewed in the same light. If our child participates in an IHSA sport we pay big money - soon to be double. Yet music will cost $30 for the year? Why such a huge difference? How was that number determined? If I remember correctly, a parent presented that amount and proposal to the SB at a previous meeting.

I may be naive but I still think the state is going to pass a huge tax increase and much of the educational funds will be restored. Things will go back to normal. Our district, just like the state, will have learned nothing and will go back to crazy spending and borrowing for tomorrow. The biggest lesson to be learned from this recession should be learn to spend less and live within your means not spend more!

IHSA sports fees will increase from $80 to $160. And double or triple that for kids who play more than one sport...

but music students will pay $30? And class sizes overall will increase?

I don't get it. But I guess this is just an example of why I gave up trying to get it and went the private school route.

[slp]

This is an email to the SB which made its way around to me. I am passing it along as I happen to agree with it 100%
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Good evening!

I appreciate all of the time you spend making District 204 such a great place for all of our 30,000 students. I know you give a lot of your time trying to make the best decisions for the students in our district.

I know you have all had a lot of feedback about the music program (especially technique) as it relates to budget cuts. When people are passionate about something, they usually give their input. If 200 people who are passionate about technique give you their thoughts and opinions, it does not mean that the whole district is in agreement. That is a very small portion of students and parents who you represent. If you attend IPPC meetings on a regular basis, which I do, you would know that there is always feedback about the technique program. Parents are always expressing concerns about students being pulled from core or even encore classes to go to technique classes. The feedback there is that the music should be taken care of during the music class time and students should not be taken out of other classes. Honestly, this is one of the reasons that my 6th grade student does not participate in band or orchestra.

I want you to know how I feel about music and technique and other extracurricular activities and I want you to understand that I probably represent a large group of individuals who have not contacted you because they are fine with the proposal to cut the technique or they might not even be aware of it. I consider the band and orchestra classes to be encore classes - similar to gym. In gym class you get a variety of sports and activities. My son happens to love soccer and really be pretty good at it. We pay approximately $2,000/year for him to play travel soccer so that he can improve his skills and play at the appropriate level of competition. That cost includes a paid professional coach, an average of 3 practices per week for 10 months out of the year, approximately 30 games and 4 tournaments each year. I do not expect the gym teachers to provide that level of training, development or coaching in a specific sport. I also do not expect the music teacher to provide that level of training on my dime. The band and orchestra programs provide a great overview, similar to a gym class, and if students are interested in more individualized instruction, they have the opportunity to pursue individual lessons. I do not think that having students pay for private music lessons to compete at a higher level is causing our music program in District 204 to "take a giant step backwards" nor does it "allow music to die for this district". In fact, if we provide this specialized training in music, I think we should consider providing this level of training for athletes, including soccer, basketball, tennis and even baseball at the middle school level. As a matter of fact, gym class makes my kid excited to get up and go to school in the morning - that is what excites all of my children to go to school. I agree with Alka Tyle that maybe students should not be pulled out of other classes for technique instruction and Cathy Piehl that teachers from other subject areas should be included in these discussions. Pulling students disrupts the other students in the class. The fact of the matter is that students are there to focus on their core classes. If there is an opportunity to pull students out of a core class to focus on an encore class lets take a look at a 20 minute session on individual soccer skills or 20 minutes on batting practice.

I would like to close by pointing out that I took a trip to Springfield. I spoke with representatives. I encouraged them to restore education funding to it's current level, reprioritize spending and pass a one year budget. If that happens, I encourage you to all put that money to it's best use which is focusing on academics - reading, writing and mathematics. If you decide that music is a priority, maybe you should take another look at the athletic curriculum!

Thank you for your time and enjoy your weekend!

District 204 resident

[sam2]

I read the May 4 article in the Herald and it discusses a Plan C, which either reduces the reduction to 9 from 19 -- a gain of ten teachers or, according to CB it adds 8 teachers. It "funds" this with a $108 annual fee, instead of a $30 fee.

Here's my question: It has been reported that there are 3,500 students that would pay the fee. So, at $108, it's a total of $378,000. If you count only the difference from the original proposal of $30, Plan C brings in an additional $273,000. How does the district propose to pay for 8 or 10 teachers salary and benefits with this amount of money? Once again, it seems like the numbers aren't vetted or aren't accurately reported, I don't know which. Or it could be that no one is paying enough attention to the details..

Am I missing something?

[doctorwho]

May 5, 2010 14:51:42 GMT -6 sam2 said:

I read the May 4 article in the Herald and it discusses a Plan C, which either reduces the reduction to 9 from 19 -- a gain of ten teachers or, according to CB it adds 8 teachers. It "funds" this with a $108 annual fee, instead of a $30 fee.

Here's my question: It has been reported that there are 3,500 students that would pay the fee. So, at $108, it's a total of $378,000. If you count only the difference from the original proposal of $30, Plan C brings in an additional $273,000. How does the district propose to pay for 8 or 10 teachers salary and benefits with this amount of money? Once again, it seems like the numbers aren't vetted or aren't accurately reported, I don't know which. Or it could be that no one is paying enough attention to the details..

Am I missing something?

that's a good catch -- I read it but didn't actually do the math--- then again math and or/budgetary reconciliation - neither are strong suits of IPSD 204 leadership.