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Resident warns of 'steady erosion' of music program; district cites staffing shortages
Summary
Elizabeth Tussing told the board the district now has only two certified music teachers, long‑term substitutes are being used and student access to music has dwindled; Superintendent Dr. McComas said the district has expanded arts resources but is facing a statewide shortage of certified arts teachers.
During the public comment portion of the April 13 meeting, community member Elizabeth Tussing told the board she was speaking about "the state of fine arts education in our district, specifically music," and urged the district to present a 3‑ to 5‑year plan to stabilize and rebuild arts instruction.
"Right now, our county has only 2 certified music teachers," Tussing said. She described long‑term substitutes filling roles as a sustained solution, reduced instructional time at some schools (from five days a week to as few as two), and the removal of pipeline programs such as fifth‑grade band that help students progress to higher‑level music offerings. "Students who are interested in pursuing music even as a career are unable to access these classes at all," she said, and asked the board, "What is the district's concrete plan to stabilize, support, and rebuild fine arts education from early childhood through high school over the next 3 to 5 years?"
Superintendent Dr. McComas responded that the district had moved the music curriculum from a Title IV federal grant onto the operating budget and that the system had expanded resources for the arts last year. She acknowledged the district's commitment to arts instruction but stressed a national shortage of certified arts and foreign‑language teachers made hiring difficult: "We did last year expand the resources for the arts program...we ran into a challenge of finding certified full time people. That's kind of that function of the nationwide shortage." She said principals were using long‑term substitutes as a stopgap and that the district was continuing recruitment efforts.
The superintendent said she would continue to prioritize arts staffing and to seek resources and was hopeful to expand arts offerings as hiring conditions improved. Tussing's comment remained a public appeal for a concrete multi‑year plan to ensure students' continued access to music instruction.
