Schools

Will the Band Play On?

Parents, students ask school board members to save junior high school band program

Don't silence the music.

That was the message some students and parents brought to the Newark Unified School District board of education meeting Tuesday night.

Students and parents asked the board during public comments to save the band program at the junior high level.

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It is one of the programs being considered for elimination in next year's budget. District officials have said they may have to cut as much as $5 million from the 2011-2012 $49 million budget, depending on state funding.

The speakers said eliminating junior high band would hurt the high school band program. They added it also takes away a creative class that is important to many students.

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"I believe when you cut music and arts, you gain in the short run but you lose in the long run," said parent Jan McDaniel.

Lorie and Eric Mohs said they have an online petition with 168 signatures, asking the board to keep junior high band. They said the program has helped their son be successful in school.

"There is no culture on Earth that doesn't have a music component," said Eric Mohs.

Jim Colvin, a parent of a junior high and a high school band student, said there are other ways to balance the budget. He urged the board to cut some of the high-tech "toys" used in the classroom, noting class can be taught with chalk and a blackboard.

"I see the opportunities I had as a kid being taken away from these kids," said Colvin.

Mark Vizon, a student who has been in band the past four years, said the class has been a "fun and enriching experience."

"Without band, none of us will have a way to express ourselves," he said.

Board President Charlie Mensinger told the speakers the board has asked the district superintendent to find ways to keep the band program.

"We are looking," he said, "but the state doesn't put us in a very good position."

The board also approved resolutions once again asking the state to grant them waivers to increase class sizes and shorten the school year.

The first proposal board allows schools to increase the student/teacher ratio to as high as 33 to 1 in grades 4 through 8.

The second proposal permits the district to reduce the school year by up to five days. The proposal would reduce the 2011-2012 school year to 175 days.

Both plans were initiated last year. They save the school district money by allowing it by hire fewer employees.

The board did approve eight new classes at Newark Memorial High School. The courses included money management, introduction to biotechnology and four reading classes.

The trustees also voted to reduce the district's contribution toward school board members' medical benefits. The district contribution will be reduced by 20 percent each year for five years until it reaches zero. Board members could still opt for district medical benefits, if they paid for them out-of-pocket. The change doesn't affect dental or vision benefits. 

In addition, Superintendent Kevin Harrigan formally announced he was leaving the Newark district after the end of this school year.

Harrigan said he will take over as superintendent at the Oak Grove Union School District in Santa Rosa next school year.

He said overseeing a smaller school district will be a "cap to my career."

He added that he will be able to live in the Russian River region, which he called a "long-held goal of mine."

He thanked the district for the opportunities it has given him the past eight years.

"It's been a honor to have worked alongside such talented individuals," Harrigan said.


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