Perkiomen Valley arts director outlines outreach and warns of decades-old instruments needing repair

At the education committee meeting, Mrs. Neen summarized months of work as the district rts advocate, saying she visited every music and art classroom, launched the biweekly ArtsBeat newsletter to about 6,300 families, organized a first-ever summer academy for arts and music teachers, and began curriculum-writing for arts and music.

She said she created a per-school instrument inventory spreadsheet and has sent it to a vendor (named in the transcript) for repair estimates to inform a districtwide replacement/repair cycle. "We have instruments that have gone 10, 15, 20 years without those cleanings, without those refurbishments," she said; board members agreed a cumulative list by building and an estimated schedule and budget were needed so the board and administration could prioritize repairs.

Mrs. Neen said she drafted preliminary grant proposals (including one she recalled tied to the Institute of Museum and Library Services for about $250,000) but paused submission because of a leadership-tenure requirement; she also said boosters and community partners are supporting events such as an artist alley and a planned 2026-27 arts-signing night to celebrate students advancing in arts pathways.

Board members asked Mr. Weaver to provide district spending-per-building reports for music and art so the board can compare resource allocation across schools. Administration said it will forward the instrument lists and vendor estimates once received and will work on a prioritized replacement/repair cycle per building.

Ending: Staff will supply the building-level spending and the vendor estimates to the board; no formal vote was taken.