At the Sept. 16 meeting of the South Colonie Central School District Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. Perry and music staff discussed scheduling options for middle-school music lessons after parents raised concerns that some plans would reduce individualized lesson time and require pulling students from core classes.

Board members and staff described a review of lesson structures intended to preserve core ELA and math instruction while maintaining music offerings. Dr. Perry said the district asked the music department to model schedules that would avoid pulling students out of ELA during foundational lessons and to look for alternatives such as using lunch periods for lessons where possible.

The discussion matters because parents and staff said reduced lesson time could slow student progress in band, orchestra and choral tracks and limit students’ ability to qualify for regional ensembles. Mr. Kachadarian, who provided the middle-school music update, and music staff ran several iterations of schedules for Sand Creek — the district’s larger Title I middle school — and concluded that some on-paper solutions would cause unacceptable instructional loss in math or ELA when implemented in practice.

District officials described the work process and near-term timeline: staff members ran multiple scheduling iterations, counselors were consulted, and music teachers were asked to preserve small-group instruction where possible. Dr. Perry said some fifth-grade activities are part of recruiting and that fifth graders would not immediately begin lessons because their participation traditionally begins after the first 10 days of the school year. He also said the district’s staffing levels for music remain the same this year and that “there is no cutting of programs.”

Parents and community members urged the board to avoid changes that would increase group sizes and reduce differentiated instruction. Sarah Diodato, president of South Colony Friends and Music, told the board: "I really wanna see us to continue to be a best community in music education." She said the district already starts some performing-group instruction later than neighboring districts, noted that fourth-grade orchestra was eliminated during COVID and has not returned, and warned that reduced lesson time could hinder students’ ability to advance to regional honors groups and other opportunities.

Other public commenters echoed those concerns. Carolyn Kelly said she was glad the district responded directly to parent emails and said she looked forward to continued board support for music. Michelle Chiapone, speaking as both a parent and educator, said parents were “coming from a place of striving for the best for our children” and thanked district leaders for engaging with concerned families.

Board members said they heard the concerns and emphasized professional discretion for teachers as staff refine schedules. Mr. Kachadarian reported having multiple one-on-one conversations with parents and staff to clarify rumors and explain the data behind scheduling options. Mrs. Fazioli (music department staff) was cited as the staff member who returned new schedule data to administrators during the review.

No formal change was approved at the meeting. The board did not vote on a policy change; instead, staff will continue to refine schedules and seek to preserve core instructional time while restoring music lessons with as much small-group instruction as possible.

The district and community indicated they will continue dialogue; Dr. Perry said the scheduling review might be revisited after more data and staff recommendations are available.