Parents, teachers and students urge board to preserve music classes and outdoor school amid budget shortfall

Dozens of parents, students and teachers told the Midland County School District Board of Directors on June 26 that proposed program cuts would damage students’ learning and extracurricular opportunities.

Speakers centered their remarks on two proposed reductions: a reduction in middle-school music staffing and the district’s possible withdrawal from the overnight fifth-grade outdoor school program run in partnership with Penn State. Many described long-term personal and community benefits from those programs and urged the board to find alternatives to program cuts while it resolves a reported budget shortfall.

The appeal came during an extended public-comment period. Parents, students and teachers said the music program provides structure, academic benefits and social belonging; several described lifelong involvement in local ensembles that began in school. Student Daniel Garner, a 2022 graduate, told the board that earlier music instruction “enhances their spiritual life” and that music students often outperform peers on standardized tests. At one point a public commenter urged the board simply: “Keep the music. Let them thrive.”

Why it matters: Speakers tied program reductions to a districtwide funding gap they said totals about $4,690,000 and to unanticipated charter-school tuition costs. Del Fuller, speaking for…