Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Arts Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Teachers, parents and students urge board to strengthen music, strings and gifted programs
Summary
Multiple speakers at the March 20 meeting urged the board to prioritize arts education, the district strings program and gifted services, citing enrollment declines, scheduling problems and reduced program depth.
Several music teachers, parents and students urged the St. Tammany Parish School Board on March 20 to take steps to stabilize and strengthen music and gifted programs across the district.
Lee Hicks, band director at Fontainebleau High School and president of the Louisiana Music Educators Association, said the district has seen a “drastic drop in band and choir enrollment” since COVID and raised concerns about inconsistent middle‑school scheduling that limits rehearsal time. “Trying to teach a student a new language, which is music, and how to play an instrument in only once a week in 30 minutes is next to impossible,” Hicks said, warning that insufficient rehearsal time “sets them up to be in a position to fail.”
Lake Harbor Middle sixth‑grader Eleanor Stagno described personal benefits from participation in strings and orchestra and urged the board not to shuffle teachers in a way that would disrupt students’ relationships with instructors. “Strings has been one of my favorite hobbies since I started playing. It has always brought me joy to be by my friends and playing,” she said.
Gifted‑program advocates, including Elizabeth Hotard and gifted teacher Lindsey Lord, asked the board to restore leadership and structure for the district gifted program. Hotard described a prior era in which district gifted services were strong and urged renewed commitment so gifted students can be challenged and supported to long‑term success. Lord recounted two students who, with gifted services, found academic confidence and purpose.
Retired gifted teacher Lee Barrios urged a district task force including parents, students, teachers and administrators to assess the gifted program and recommend reforms, and the Federation said it would advocate for a documented commitment from the administration to prioritize the gifted program.
Speakers urged the board to ensure consistent scheduling and staffing, hire or designate district leadership for gifted services, and avoid practices that fragment arts instruction. The board did not take formal action on these requests during the meeting; staff and board members acknowledged the concerns and the need for follow‑up.
