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Parents and educators urge board to restore elementary music teacher after staffing cuts
Summary
Several parents, a local music teacher and retired educators asked the Board of Education to reconsider an eliminated elementary music teacher position, warning the cut will reduce early music exposure and could shrink the pipeline to band at higher grades. Board members said budget limits and class-size priorities informed the staffing decision.
At public comment, community members urged the Little Egg Harbor Township Board of Education to reverse a staffing decision that eliminated a full‑time elementary music teacher position.
"Music is not extracurricular for our youngest students," said John Miller, who identified himself as a local business owner and district alumnus. He told the board that combining music coverage across two buildings would reduce instructional quality and diminish concerts and ensemble opportunities for elementary students.
A retired district teacher who spoke after Miller echoed those concerns and cited research connecting music instruction to gains in other academic areas. Both callers asked the board to explore grant funding or internal reallocation to restore the position.
Board members and interim Superintendent Patty responded that the district preserved the instrumental (band) program and that recent budget constraints and classroom-size pressures drove staffing decisions. Patty and other board members said the immediate priority is reducing sixth-grade class sizes, which they consider a more urgent instructional need at this time.
The board said it will have principals and the incoming superintendent examine schedules and staffing over the summer, and it acknowledged the possibility of hiring a part-time music teacher if funds become available. No immediate reversal was announced.
The board also noted that any schedule change must coordinate multiple special-area subjects (music, art, STEAM) and that certification and contractual constraints affect how positions can be posted and assigned.
