Summary
Representatives from Bergen Performing Arts Center and the Turnauer School of Music (Kaplan JCC) presented alternate arts partnership options to the Englewood Board of Education on Aug. 14; trustees debated budget impact and asked the administration to review funding and return with options.
Representatives from Bergen Performing Arts Center (Bergen PAC) and the Turnauer School of Music at the Kaplan JCC presented competing but complementary proposals for arts partnerships at the Englewood Board of Education meeting on Aug. 14. Both presenters urged the district to expand access to arts programming; board members and several parents pressed the district for clarity on cost and scope before committing funds.
Bergen PAC speakers said their organization operates regionally from Englewood'based facilities and offers classroom residencies, assemblies, summer camps and co-productions. "Bergen PAC is the centralized hub of Englewood," said Ashley Tobias, the organization's education outreach manager, explaining that the nonprofit conducts summer musicals, school residencies and a special-needs'focused Voices in Harmony residency. Bergen PAC representatives said their outreach connects with roughly 140 schools and 12,000 students statewide, that 25% of students in their programs receive financial aid, and that they run a summer program serving about 400 students and a performing-arts school that engages about 1,000 students annually.
The Turnauer School of Music (the Kaplan JCC program) presented its long-standing Englewood chorus residency. Emma, Turnauer's artistic director, described the organization's choral programming for children and youth, its satellite work in local schools and its partnership with the Young People's Chorus of New York City. Turnauer noted it served about 100 Englewood students across programs and that the McLeod school chorus has room for roughly 60'to'70 students under typical conditions. Turnauer said the chorus was understaffed last year and enrolled about 30 students because the program began mid-year; historically the chorus has included about 62 students. Student participants addressed the board: "The JCC helped me find out who I want to be when I grow up," said Neilani Burrows, an eighth grader, and Jeremy Rivera read a written appeal that described the chorus as "a singing community" students rely on.
Board members questioned both presenters about cost, transport, capacity, and how quickly programs could scale. Bergen PAC described a menu of services—short assemblies, multi-week residencies (6 to 12 weeks), co-productions and master classes—that allow tailoring to a district's needs; Bergen PAC said pricing varies by scope and that scholarship funding, grants, and charitable gifts help offset district costs. For some residency examples Bergen PAC stated a six-week special-needs Voices in Harmony residency could run about $600 for a school site (presenters described that figure as a sample per-residency cost during Q&A). Bergen PAC said additional costs for larger, year-long partnerships would be determined by a program plan.
Turnauer (JCC) staff and parents sought district funding to restore last year's in-school chorus, which the JCC said operated without district support last year and relied on grants and private fundraising. Turnauer provided specific cost figures in response to board questions: the program charges families about $120 per child per year, but the organization said scholarships are available and the chorus budget (including busing, uniforms, staffing and trips) has been roughly $35,000'$40,000 in past years. Turnauer asked the district for a $25,000 contribution to stabilize the program, and stated that without district support they would be unable to sustain the full scope of outreach they previously provided.
The public comment period included multiple speakers in support of both programs. Parents and community members described benefits ranging from improved academic outcomes to social-emotional development and vocational pathways through stagecraft. A number of public speakers urged the board to fund both programs if possible; others emphasized Bergen PAC's ability to serve more students for the district's investment.
Trustees debated next steps. Board member Rachel moved to remove the Bergen PAC item from the consent agenda for separate consideration; that motion was seconded and defeated in a roll-call vote, leaving Bergen PAC on the consent agenda as presented (the Bergen PAC partnership was listed at $0 on the agenda as an initial collaboration item). Board member David then moved to add the JCC item to the consent agenda with a $25,000 allocation; that motion was seconded but later withdrawn after members agreed to ask the superintendent and business office to review available funds and return with options at the next board meeting. The board asked administration to analyze costs, possible reallocation, and grant or philanthropic sources and to present a clear budget plan at the September meeting.
In short: Bergen PAC presented a menu of scalable arts services anchored in its Englewood theater and said it can partner with schools in residencies, co-productions and special-needs programming; the Turnauer School (JCC) asked the district for $25,000 to restore a longstanding in-school chorus program that Turnauer estimates actually costs roughly $35,000'$40,000 to run. The board did not commit district funds during the meeting; instead trustees requested an administrative review of options and directed staff to return with recommendations for how the district could support school-based arts programming, including possible funding sources.
