Fine Arts Teachers Express Emotion Over Potential Program Cuts

Before Monday night's school board meeting even began, word had already spread that trustees would be discussing possible cuts to the Hartland Consolidated Schools fine arts program.

Though the item was not listed on the agenda for discussion or action, several of Hartland's fine arts teachers were in the audience and a few spoke during the meeting's call to the public.

Susan Simmer, music teacher at opened the discussion.

"I am up here because I would like to share some of my concerns tonight regarding the proposed changes to the elementary essentials for the 2011 - 2012 school year," she said. "I recognize that no change is easy and that the union has worked with the district to find what will be the best solution to the budget problem our district faces."

While no official statement was given by Superintendent Janet Sifferman or any board member confirming the action, Sifferman did respond with another plea to the public to get involved and call their legislators to plea for the legislature to give more money to K-12 education.

Without extra money, she indicated there was no other way to save the program.

"We have privatized our custodial services, we have in essence privatized our transportation services, we did a million dollars worth of cuts for this school year and we have tried to keep it all behind the scenes but there is no more."

Sifferman cited the $750,000 increase in the retirement rate and the $470 per pupil decrease as a "$4.1 million problem" for Hartland schools.

According to Simmer's statement, the proposed cuts would make music and art half time classes in Hartland's four elementary schools, with two teachers in each department covering two buildings.

Simmer grew emotional when talking about how she will be stretched thin, teaching 1,000 students instead of 500 because she prides herself on knowing so much about each of her students.

"Music class can be one bright spot in their day for some of the most unlikely students and I love being that bright spot. I do not feel it would be a sound educational decision to divide the year into semesters with students only receiving art for one half of the year and music for the other.

Simmer was followed by Mary Jo Baynes, music teacher at .

Baynes' first question for the board was how it was decided to unassign all music and art teaching positions without considering an equitable cut across physical education and media.

Both teachers presented many opinions for why the loss of these programs in full or in part would be detrimental to the students of Hartland Consolidated Schools, something echoed by parents in the audience as well.

Sifferman added that come August nobody's job is safe as to what they will be teaching, but that in working with the Hartland Education Association there will be no teacher layoffs.

"We are one of the very few districts that I know that are not going to have teacher layoffs.  But the bad news is that many will be in different assignments than they are in now because of involuntary transfers in order to fulfill all of the federal requirements that the state and federal government say we have to fulfill while at the same time cutting the heck out of our program."

In addition during its meeting Monday night, the Hartland School Board also scheduled their annual organizational meeting for Monday, July 11 at 7:30 a.m.