Pocono News Section

Budget Cuts Hit Sour Notes with Some Parents and Students

Budget Cuts Hit Sour Notes with Some Parents and Students - Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at 12:27PM EST

A parent meeting was called to discuss the effects budget cuts would have on Pocono Mountain's music programs.
Our cameras were banned. Rosaline Rubin's son is a band member. She explained what could happen. "They are going to be cutting out 5 and a half positions from the teaching staff of Pocono Mountain East and Pocono Mountain West High School. They said on a percentage level, that would mean 17 percent of that teaching staff would be cut. And they're asking the teachers to spread their time out throughout all the schools," she said.

According to this budget proposal, music instruction in grades 6 through 12 would be realigned, resulting in larger group instruction only. Rubin told us, "Unfortunately music departments have always been secondary in this school. Sports are always first, academics. But I think music is such an important part in a child's life."

School administrators did not respond to messages for information. Parents fear the realignment will amount to a substandard music program.

Pocono Mountain's Band has regularly appeared in the national spotlight. At the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. They've also entertained for President George W. Bush.

Some parents believe the proposed cuts are lopsided. Rubin adds, "But when you spread a thousand teachers throughout the district it was only like 1.4 percent of the other teaching situations, compared to the band program where their talking about 17 percent of all the music instructors."

A school board meeting next week will apparently be flooded with concerned parents.