School Board Retains Music Teacher's Hours

After controversy over cuts to the schools’ music department last spring, the school year resumed last week with the same music staffing levels as last year.

While cutting a position from 0.8 to 0.6 “full-time equivalent” (FTE) may seem like a small matter, the proposed cut dominated discussion at a Board of Finance public hearing on the budget in April. Parents expressed concern that the approximate $9,000 savings would pale in comparison to the impact it would have on the music department if the teacher left the district. In addition to his teaching duties, he volunteers heavily with extra curricular activities.

Board Chairwoman Beth Kandrysawtz said that the board policy is not to hold classes with less than five students; two music sections were cut at the middle school because of low enrollment, she said.

At the budget hearing last spring, Superintendent Kevin Case said the decision was made to cut the classes but that the board had not determined which teacher’s hours would be cut, adding that it wouldn’t necessarily be the one who taught the classes in question.

Since then, Case and Music Department Chairman Tom Scavone came up with a way to retain the position as an 0.8 FTE while meeting students’ needs and honoring board policy, Kandrysawtz said.

The public misunderstood that the person’s position was being cut, she said. “We cut a section of a class that was not subscribed. I think because he taught that section, the community jumped to the conclusion that we were cutting his job,” she said. “At the school level, they work out how their existing personnel are used.”

Tom Moran, the music teacher whose classes were cut because of low enrollment, says the district added a music technology experiential course for eighth graders, allowing eighth graders who take band and chorus the chance to also take a class in music technology. Prior to this year, seventh graders who took band and chorus had the option of taking a music tech experiential, but it was not offered to eighth graders.

The upshot is that he is employed as an 0.8 FTE but is teaching different classes this year, Moran said.

“I’m very appreciative of all the support” from the community, said Moran, who is also a professional musician.

Case said, “The board listened to [the community] and responded. The board reinstated the middle school music position. It will give students expanded opportunities in music.”