Concerned parents and teachers fear that the band may not play on at West End schools in New Westminster, but at least one trustee believes the music program won't be cut as a measure to save money.
Trustee MaryAnn Mortensen told The Record that the board of education wants more information after learning that the district planned to cut the band programs in west side schools until a new middle school is built.
"We've asked for staff to come back with information, I believe, with a view of restoring the program," said Mortensen, whose children go to school in the West End. "We understand the value (of the band program)."
Trustees weren't aware that the district cut the band program for next year, she said. It planned to freeze the program for two years because it was time consuming for the band teacher to travel to the various west side schools. Another issue was that John Robson Elementary didn't have a room for the program.
Parents started a Facebook page, called Save Our Elementary School Band Program in New Westminster.
Local teachers' union president Grant Osborne hadn't heard about the page when he spoke with The Record on Wednesday morning, but he said he's heard from teachers who were concerned about the cut.
The impact of cutting the band program would be felt when the West End students met up with their east-side counterparts in high school.
"Band is when they actually start to use different instruments," Osborne said. "The real concern is that by the time they get to the secondary school level, there is concern about there being some students who will have substantially more experience working with musical instruments."
The district is dealing with a serious budget crunch. Currently, it owes about $2.8 million from last year, and is projecting a $1 million deficit this year. The district is also considering cutting 58 positions across the district to offset next year's structural deficit.
The band program may be one more casualty in a series of painful cuts the district has had to make to balance the books.
Osborne is shocked by the "deep cuts," which he said will hurt some of the district's most-vulnerable students.
"It's looking pretty bad in terms of how we are going to be supporting at-risk kids and special needs," he said.
Many of the teachers being handed pink slips are resource teachers, who work with classroom teachers to help develop learning strategies for students, and counsellors.
Osborne said he was hearing reports about the need for more resource teachers before the cuts.
"Education is going to look very, very different in New Westminster next year," he said.
The Facebook page can be viewed at www.facebook.com/SaveTheElementarySchoolBandProgramInNewWestminster.
