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Students, parents and alumni urge board not to cut high school choir hours
Summary
Dozens of students, parents and alumni told the L'Anse Creuse Public Schools Board of Education that proposed cuts that would reduce high school choir instruction from three hours to two and combine show choir with select ensemble would damage musical training, community outreach and students' emotional supports.
Dozens of students, parents and alumni told the L'Anse Creuse Public Schools Board of Education on Tuesday they oppose a plan to reduce L'Anse Creuse High School's choir program to two class hours next year and combine the district's show choir and select ensemble.
The speakers said each choir hour serves distinct instructional goals and that combining them would reduce opportunities for performance, community outreach and leadership. "Show choir focuses on the dancing aspect, while select ensemble focuses on the singing portions," said Ryan Walters, a Lance Creuse alumnus who described choir as a personal lifeline. "If you were to combine the two classes, there would not be enough time in a single class hour to cover all the material they need to learn."
The speakers included current and former choir students, parents and program leaders who said the program supports students with anxiety and provides an important extracurricular pathway. Brianna Haulfield, who said she recently graduated and served as choir president, said combining the classes would reduce opportunities for students to find belonging and identity. "This isn't just about the quality of music. It's about identity and belonging," she said. Other students echoed that the program’s separation into distinct classes — Lancer Choir, show choir and select ensemble — allows each group to pursue different repertoires and skills.
Parents and alumni also raised programmatic and equity concerns. Kelly Kasuth, a district employee and parent, supplied enrollment figures for the next school year to the board: "Select ensemble has 16 students enrolled for next year," she said, and "Show choir has 24 students enrolled." Kasuth warned that cutting class hours would make it harder to attract qualified directors and would deprive roughly 60 students of opportunities they value.
Board members and administrators acknowledged the public comments and said they would discuss the choir and other program changes further. Superintendent Keith Howell said administrators will provide additional information to the board; at the end of the meeting Howell accepted a request to put choir staffing and schedule changes on the board agenda for the June 23 meeting.
Speakers repeatedly framed the change as part of broader budget decisions. Several told the board that choir had provided emotional support and in some cases helped students overcome mental-health crises; parents also warned that reducing the program could reduce participation and subsequent fundraising that supports performances and costumes.
Board members did not vote on choir staffing at the meeting; public comment came during the hearing of district patrons and the later hearing follow-up. Board members said they wanted more information from administration before acting and scheduled further discussion on the topic for the next regular meeting.
The board accepted public comment for 60 minutes during the meeting; comments on choir were among the longest and most frequent.
