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Board approves K–12 music curriculum update and $133,262 materials purchase
Summary
The board approved revised K–12 music curriculum maps and a $133,262.27 procurement—funded by the referendum curriculum budget—to buy instruments and elementary equipment that staff said are decades old.
The Wisconsin Rapids Board of Education approved revised K–12 music curriculum maps and authorized district staff to purchase music materials and equipment totaling up to $133,262.27, funded through the district’s referendum curriculum budget.
Jean Olsen and Amy Ulrich, district music curriculum coordinators, told the board that much elementary equipment is more than 20 years old and high-school instruments are often over 36 years old and difficult to repair. Olsen said the curriculum revisions emphasize learning and teaching processes in addition to performance, and Ulrich said purchasing additional elementary equipment would allow teachers to provide consistent instruction at each school rather than transporting instruments among buildings.
Board members approved the curriculum maps beginning with the 2025–26 school year and approved the purchase authorization. Committee members had categorized proposed purchases into tiers, with Tier 1 items labeled essential and Tier 2 labeled important but delayable. The motion to approve the curriculum maps and the materials acquisition carried in committee and was ratified by the board at the meeting.
District staff said replacement timelines are long: elementary equipment lifespan was estimated at roughly 12 years, whereas some current high-school instruments have exceeded 36 years.
No amendments to the purchase authorization were reported.
