Balancing a budget: a cut and hike dance - Parents lament loss of program

By Ryan Davis
Hampshire Daily Gazette
Friday, June 09, 2006 NORTHAMPTON - A program that teaches about 130 elementary school students to play musical instruments inspired well over an hour of debate Thursday.

School Superintendent Isabelina Rodriguez Babcock has proposed eliminating the program in order to save about $17,000 in the budget. Children will still have regular music classes.

The move has the support of all four elementary principals, who maintain that while the program has produced excellent results, it doesn't benefit the majority of children and it is disruptive to classrooms because students are pulled out to participate.

However, five parents speaking during a public comment session at Thursday's School Committee meeting and two board members argued forcefully to maintain the program. Other members said they support cutting the program, but a vote won't be taken until the June 22 meeting.

''I don't think you're helping anyone by doing this,'' said Nick Kachulis of Harold Street, whose children were both in the program. ''You're destroying the feeder system to the high school band.''

Heidi Stevens of Upland Road in Leeds said that she was ''overwhelmed with gratitude'' that her son was able to develop an interest in music in elementary school and will be joining the high school band. She said eliminating the program will make some parents send their children to other schools.

Ward 5 representative Stephanie Pick said she believes that if it is cut, only children whose parents can afford lessons will learn to play instruments.

The four principals each said they'd rather not cut anything, but saw more pressing needs in schools besides band. They acknowledged that many students enjoy it, and Jackson Street School Principal Gwen Agna even plays the flute in the band at her school.

But they said dropping the program was preferable to cutting other areas.

''This is a program that doesn't really fit in the same way the rest of the elementary program fits,'' said R.K. Finn Ryan Road interim principal Margie Riddle.

Rodriguez Babcock said the program serves less than 10 percent of the elementary population and all students will still have a full music program without it.