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Students and parents urge board to restore summer band camp after grant funding ended
Summary
A sixth-grade student and a parent told the Stratford Board the district's summer band camp was canceled after a federal grant ended; the superintendent said the program had been grant-funded (ASR) and staff are seeking new grants but could make no promises for immediate restoration.
Kara Cummings, a sixth-grade student, told the board she had hoped to attend band camp this summer, describing it as the place where she learned clarinet and where older students volunteered. She said the program had been canceled "due to funding" and urged the board to find money so the camp can return this year or next.
A parent who identified herself as Jennifer (last name not stated) also described the band-camp experience as "wonderful" and urged the board to support restoring the program; she said volunteers and high-school students helped run the camp and that it had been a meaningful summer activity for local children.
Superintendent Borges replied that the camp had been funded by an ASR federal grant for a set period and that district staff were "aggressively looking for other grants" to continue the program. Borges said there were no promises yet and that the district would like to see the program continued, and acknowledged staff (noting Miss Boire's nod) were pursuing options.
Why it matters Summer extracurricular programs provide instruction and supervised activity for students during the school break; their continuation depends on available funding, often from grants that expire. Students and families asked the board to seek funding or include the program in future budgets.
Provenance (transcript evidence) - Topic introduction (public comment): "My name is Kara Cummings... it was gonna be my third year going into band camp... it got canceled due to funding" (transcript s=238.88 to s=296.52) - Superintendent response (topfinish): "That was an ASR funded program, that was a federally funded grant... I know we are aggressively looking for other grants... no promises yet... it was a grant funded program and, hopefully we can, continue with it." (transcript s=385.40997)
Speakers (attribution whitelist) - Kara Cummings — 6th-grade student, Stratford Public Schools (spoke in public comment) - Jennifer (surname not specified) — parent / community member (spoke in public comment) - Superintendent Borges — Superintendent, Stratford Public Schools (responded on funding status)
Authorities mentioned - ASR federal grant (referenced by superintendent as the prior funding source) — recorded as "ASR funded program" in the transcript.
Clarifying details - Funding source for band camp: described by superintendent as an ASR federal grant that had a fixed allocation and time limit; district staff stated they are seeking new grants but made no commitments. - Program status: canceled for the current summer due to the end of the grant; district staff said they hope to find funding to restore the program either this summer or next year but made no promise.
Community relevance - Geography: Stratford children and families who rely on district-run or district-supported summer enrichment programs. - Impact groups: elementary and middle-school students who participate in band and music programs; volunteer high-school students and music staff.
Meeting context The band-camp appeal occurred during public comment. The superintendent responded with factual context about the prior grant funding and ongoing grant-seeking efforts; board members did not take an immediate vote on funding at the meeting.
