— from Music Advocacy Group —

The reduced scope of the 2017 School Construction Bond has relegated the Multi-purpose/Music Room to the ‘Alternate’ category, in are-prioritized list of projects for a new bid package. There is a serious possibility that the Multi-purpose/Music Room may be dropped. The School Board will open new bids for the revised scope of the 2017 Bond Construction project on Tuesday, December 18, at 2 pm in the school cafeteria. On the same day, the final decision on the scope of the construction will be made at the Tuesday School Board meeting at 5 pm in the school library. Both events are open to the public and we urge interested school music supporters to attend.

The following letter from the Music Advocacy Group has been sent to the School Board.

December 14, 2018

OISD School Board

Dear School Board members,

The Music Advocacy Group and our music supporters are deeply concerned that the Multi-Purpose/Music Room has been relegated to the category of ‘Alternate’. This is the third time that the desperately needed music room for the string program may be dropped. The existing classroom that Pamela Wright uses for the string program is inadequate for space and sound quality. For example, she has to fit thirty-two 5th  and 6th grade string players in her classroom. Because her classroom is also used by all elementary music students, the setup and take down time for her larger string classes limits actual teaching time. It is not possible to share the current band room because band and string groups at each grade level meet at the same period.

The Orcas community has consistently expressed strong support for the completion of the Music Wing since it was dropped in the first bond. In the latest bond, the music room was a popular motivator that drove voter interest. We were elated that the Bond passed with the Multi-Purpose/Music room intact! This latest turn of events is of serious concern, not just for MAG but also for our community of music supporters who have helped sustain the school music program for over two decades. We ask that the completion of the Music Wing remain a part of this bond construction.

Sincerely,

Music Advocacy Group (MAG)

  • Miriam Ziegler, President
  • Jim Shaffer-Bauck
  • Jan Ehrlichman
  • Doug McTavish
  • Sharon Ho
  • Brian Moss
  • Margie Bangs

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