Posted By: Gloria M. Anderson
As a Suzuki parent and parent of a student who played the cello for 14 years, supporting 5th grade strings has always been important to me. However, on the heels of forward funding the raises of two unions, adding a new program for 4-8 students we do not know, exposing this district to < 10% fund balance in a year and the teachers waiting for an expedited contract and raise, I have re-thought my position.
The district ran a very expensive election and BOND campaign and cried poor mouth for months. Administrators' raises and Middle School Montessori were approved expenditures before the election. So, we were not as poor as we cried. Also, the conflict of threatening cuts before a bond never addressed the control of costs with internal cuts or line item freezes, such as the $380,000 line item for substitute teachers. This adjusting/freezing does occur in other districts. Never has our staff been asked to do a thing without a payment. Central office is governed by a happy OEA versus a partner with our union through thick and thin.
Now, I think it is time to let 5th grade strings go the way of all private pay opportunities in Okemos. Either adopt Suzuki as a stellar program that is part of the district, it has more participants than Montessori or have a program before and after school and parents pay just like they do for ACT/SAT tutors beginning in middle school, piano, dance, voice coaching, Kumon, Erickson, Slyvan, private coaching, tennis, swimming, camps for the gifted and talented to just name a few. They had to do this in East Lansing and it is full of participants.
If music patrons need to feel the pinch to care about all of the district, maybe it is time!
Gloria M. Anderson