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Band parents raise funding, instrument and transportation safety concerns to board
Summary
A band parent urged the board to address an $8,000 grant cut, mounting equipment needs (estimated at $80,000) and the safety of the district van used to transport band students; the superintendent said staff would investigate and noted capital-outlay and entitlement grant constraints.
A parent representing the Band Parent Association told the Hardee County School Board Thursday that the band program faces pressing equipment, funding and transportation issues ahead of next school year.
Jennifer Albrecht, who said she has two sons in the district band programs and serves on the BPA, asked the board to confirm reports that an $8,000 grant might be cut and described a broader shortfall of approximately $80,000 in identified band needs that include uniforms, instruments and seating. Albrecht said the program has grown (she cited a jump from about 60 to an expected 130 marching band members) and described recently purchased drums that cost $7,000 and multiple instruments in poor condition, including a sousaphone held together with zip ties and straps.
Albrecht also raised safety concerns about the school van used to transport band students, saying drivers sometimes must jump-start the vehicle and that only the front-side doors reliably open. She said parents and staff sometimes transport instruments and students and asked the board to respond to safety and equipment needs.
Superintendent Miss Bennett replied that the district values the band program and that some funds had been earmarked through capital outlay and other campus-level prioritization processes. Bennett said principals prioritize campus requests and that school-level leaders submit priorities to a committee. She added that some entitlement grants are projected to be cut next year and that the district could not yet promise replacement funding until the conclusion of the legislative session and final state allocations.
Bennett said she had spoken with the campus principal about capital-outlay priorities and that district staff were discussing options for furniture and equipment; she also said she would follow up with transportation on the van-safety concerns that were new information to district leadership.
Board members and district staff thanked Albrecht for her advocacy and said they would work with band directors and parents as funds and procurement options permit. No new board appropriation was approved during the meeting; the discussion concluded with a commitment from staff to investigate the transportation safety report and continue conversations about prioritizing equipment purchases as funding allows.
