Nicole, Dave, Kelly, Sargent PTO Prez Mary Fris and Sargent Dad Len Warner asked the Beacon BOE tonight to
consider adding another elementary art teacher and music teacher, in order to create full time positions at JV Forrestal and
Sargent Schools. Currently, one teacher splits her time between the schools, with over 800 students to see once per week (if
she's lucky). Unacceptable. We all delivered heart-felt speeches, dotted with a statistic or two. I think it will
be added to the 2008-2009 budget, but Board President William Zopf made the point that the arts (and athletics) are not
absolutely required by the state, so they are often the first things to get cut. Meanwhile, we need to encourage everyone
we see to vote for the budget come May.
Although this has little to do with Madera Vox directly, it has everything to do with it! Music needs to be a core
curriculum. And children should be receiving musical instruction 3 times per week, at an hour each time. There
should be collaboration between classroom teachers and art teachers, using elements of music and art as a teaching pathway
for other curriculums. End of discussion.
