District 197 Music Committee Talks Staffing, Budget

A committee of District 197 parents, staff and faculty met for the second time Nov. 29 to work toward a series of recommendations for the district’s music program.

The district’s music program faced a number of challenges in the most recent budget cycle—music class time was shortened in elementary schools, the faced cuts and relocation to the elementary schools, Sibley's band teacher's hours were reduced and most recently, that teacher left the classroom and will be retiring officially in August.

Tom Nelson, the district’s interim superintendent who put together the committee, said that if the committee’s recommendations require funding allocations, the school board will work to shuffle funds during its budget process.

“(The committee) is going to make a series of recommendations to the school board in late January,” Nelson said. “So if it requires some investment, we can build it into our budget process as we go through the spring.”

Nelson said the committee has been considering staffing questions among other issues.

“How do we get instruments in the hands of kids that don’t have access? You get into band and orchestra and it requires an investment,” he said. “Are there any impediments in our schedule that make it difficult to take music the farther along students go? Do we have a budget that repairs instruments?”

David Koziol, a board member on the committee, said their recommendations will come down to budget and staffing issues.

“I think we need to look at how the music program is funded,” he said. “I know there was a concern about the lack of funding for maintenance for musical instruments. We can get instruments, but if they fall into disrepair we don’t have the budget to fix them.”

There are two more meetings scheduled for the committee, one in December and one in January where the committee will put its recommendations together. The Dec. 20 meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. at and is open to the public.