— by Jim Shaffer-Bauck —
It’s time to complete the second half of the school music building program.
I vividly recall the valiant first effort of a string performance at a MAG concert years ago, and I marvel at the remarkable achievements since. Our school groups have performed extraordinarily well in contests, sometimes against much larger schools, and their local performances have been excellent and well attended. This trajectory has been maintained in spite of significant limitations in terms of space and resources. It has been a stellar performance by Pamela Wright, and she deserves our recognition and support.
Success brings challenges, however. This coming year, there will be a class with 33 students in a room that cannot effectively accommodate them, so it’s time to complete the second half of the school music building program by constructing the space originally planned for the string program, and potentially a choral program. This can be accomplished by including it in the upcoming bond issue, which would add around three or four cents to the mil rate, a small price to pay for a program of such excellence, and the continuing development of the musical potential of our community’s youth.
As always, there is a ‘however’, and in this instance, it is the conundrum the school board finds itself in. They are understandably cautious about the size of bond to put on the ballot, because of the two that have been rejected by voters. They were considerably larger, but the risk is very real, nevertheless. They need reassurance that sufficient support is present to pass this issue, with the completion of the music building program included.
The Music Advocacy Group officially supports this project, and I urge anyone with an interest in this matter to contact the board with expressions of support, and to attend the upcoming meetings: Tuesday, September 13, 5:30 to 7:30, and Wednesday, September 21, 5:30 to 7:30.
Jim Shaffer-Bauck is a member of the Music Advocacy Group which supports music in the public schools
