In December of 2011 the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) released a report entitled “The New 3 Rs: Reducing, Restructuring and Redesigning.”
The NYSSBA New 3 Rs website includes the following text in refererence to the report:
“The New 3 Rs analyzes the impact of the state’s new property tax cap on school districts, provides recommendations for state lawmakers to allow schools to operate more efficiently, and suggest ideas for local school boards to consider in order to survive in the tax cap era.”
The third entry under the report’s “Reduce” category is “reduce music classes.”
The only other mention of “music” in the report is the following excerpt from page 5 (emphasis added):
Here are four predictions for how districts will adapt to the new era:
- School districts will seek structural changes as opposed to one-time savings. Longer-term savings will be derived from school closings and staff reorganizations.One school district in Lewis County in 2011- 12 reduced three full-time positions to three half-time positions and reduced its class schedule from 10 periods to nine periods.A school district administrator in Rensselaer County explained that while eliminating a teacher may result in a reduction in electives, sharing a teacher with another district allows a teacher to remain full time based on a shared schedule with the other district – and allows both districts to maintain programs, albeit at a reduced level. Greater use of shared services will occur in non-mandated areas targeted for reductions, such as art, music, art, sports and electives. Districts may still offer these programs, but at a reduced level as teachers move to half-time and three- quarter time positions.
Interestingly this section of the report situates music and the arts as “non-mandated areas” and “elective[s]” without acknowledging music and the arts as core subjects.
While music educators often find themselves paying attention to the discourse of those who set or lobby for particular education policies, the role of State School Board Associations is not necessarily discussed very often.
If the the full report is providing suggestions to local school boards, the inculsion of the statement “reduce music classes” among other “ideas for local school boards to consider in order to survive in the tax cap era” can have serious ramifications for students and music educators.
How aware are you of your state school board association’s and local school board members’ perspectives on music education?