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Music boosters urge board to restore elementary music staffing as several music teachers depart
Summary
Parents and boosters asked the East Troy Community School District board to reverse elementary-music staff reductions after a failed referendum; speakers tied staffing cuts and scheduling conflicts to recent music teacher departures and urged the district to prioritize hiring and scheduling fixes.
Parents and music boosters pressed the East Troy Community School District Board of Education on June 15 to reverse reductions to elementary music staffing and to continue work on scheduling at the middle and high school that limits student participation.
Carla, speaking for the East Troy Music Boosters, said the failed referendum led to reductions that have decreased direct music instruction for younger students and asked the board to “reinvest in music education” and to review feedback from educators who recently left the district. Daryl, also representing the boosters, noted the middle-school band’s strong growth and cited research he said links music participation to higher academic performance: “Students involved in music score an average of 22% higher on standardized tests,” he said, and urged the board to act to retain and attract qualified music teachers.
The public comments followed a resignation presentation in which the district’s director of human resources listed multiple departing staff, including district band directors and classroom teachers. The board formally accepted the resignations as read during the meeting.
Why it matters: Booster leaders and parents framed music instruction as supporting literacy, math, social development and student mental health, and they warned that scheduling conflicts (freshman electives overlapping band and choir) are forcing students to choose between programs. Boosters offered to collaborate on solutions and asked the administration to share barriers it sees to retaining staff.
What the board did: No new hire commitments were made during public comment. The board later approved three staffing recommendations presented at the meeting (Rachel Whitton for a third-grade opening, Kelly Johnson for a 0.8 elementary art position, and Ashley Harding for kindergarten). Separately, the board accepted eight resignations or nonrenewals that included multiple teachers and music staff.
Context and next steps: Speakers tied staffing and program changes to the failed operating referendum and to normal attrition and resignations. The director of human resources said the district is working to fill 18 teacher vacancies for next year while not replacing 17 other positions as part of reconfiguration; she said special-education staffing is especially difficult to recruit. Booster leaders asked the board and administration to continue collaborative scheduling work and to highlight district efforts to recruit and retain music educators. The board did not take immediate action to reinstate full-time elementary music staffing at this meeting.
