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Some school districts have cut fine arts completely, but Orion is trying to keep art and music as it works through its financial crisis.
Area residents expressed their thoughts at school forums held from Tuesday, April 6, through Thursday, April 8.
Art
At its March meeting, the school board laid off art teacher Kara Koehler.
Orion High School librarian Shelly Johnson has been asked to teach art, according to fellow OHS teacher Rhonda Cox, who has served as president of the Orion Education Association.
Johnson taught art early in her career, and she already is preparing to teach art this fall, Cox said.
“People don’t realize she is talented,” Cox said.
Cindy Schulenberg said the person who teaches art at the high school is important because a lot of students in their third and fourth year of art are thinking about majoring in art when they go to college.
They need guidance as they prepare portfolios of their work, she said.
At Orion Middle School, art teacher Gary Herr’s hours will be reduced, but he will continue teaching nine-week-long mini-courses in art for sixth, seventh and eighth graders, principal Gary Heard said.
Herr has been working a little more than three-quarter time, but the board has notified him he will be cut to half-time.
He will have three art classes at OMS, and he will supervise a study hall during the last hour of the day, Heard said.
Every sixth grader has to take art, the principal said. Seventh and eighth graders don’t have to take it, but art is still the most popular mini-course.
A parent at the OMS forum said she would rather pay higher fees than see art take a hit in the budget reduction plan.
Music
The board cut music teachers Josh Youngs and Andrea Kapusinski to half-time for next year.
Youngs is the band director at OMS and OHS, and Kapusinski is the choir director.
The cut to 50 percent was based on looking at how much of the school day Youngs and Kapusinski spent teaching music, Superintendent David Deets said.
“We don’t want to compromise quality, but we were paying two full-time teachers who weren’t teaching full-time,” he said. “We had to look at what overall is best. We had to cut $700,000 from somewhere.
“We need to be sure that if we are paying teachers to teach music full-time, they should teach it full-time, not be in a computer lab,” the superintendent said.
Some school districts have cut fine arts completely, but Orion is trying to keep art and music as it works through its financial crisis.
Area residents expressed their thoughts at school forums held from Tuesday, April 6, through Thursday, April 8.
Art
At its March meeting, the school board laid off art teacher Kara Koehler.
Orion High School librarian Shelly Johnson has been asked to teach art, according to fellow OHS teacher Rhonda Cox, who has served as president of the Orion Education Association.
Johnson taught art early in her career, and she already is preparing to teach art this fall, Cox said.
“People don’t realize she is talented,” Cox said.
Cindy Schulenberg said the person who teaches art at the high school is important because a lot of students in their third and fourth year of art are thinking about majoring in art when they go to college.
They need guidance as they prepare portfolios of their work, she said.
At Orion Middle School, art teacher Gary Herr’s hours will be reduced, but he will continue teaching nine-week-long mini-courses in art for sixth, seventh and eighth graders, principal Gary Heard said.
Herr has been working a little more than three-quarter time, but the board has notified him he will be cut to half-time.
He will have three art classes at OMS, and he will supervise a study hall during the last hour of the day, Heard said.
Every sixth grader has to take art, the principal said. Seventh and eighth graders don’t have to take it, but art is still the most popular mini-course.
A parent at the OMS forum said she would rather pay higher fees than see art take a hit in the budget reduction plan.
Music
The board cut music teachers Josh Youngs and Andrea Kapusinski to half-time for next year.
Youngs is the band director at OMS and OHS, and Kapusinski is the choir director.
The cut to 50 percent was based on looking at how much of the school day Youngs and Kapusinski spent teaching music, Superintendent David Deets said.
“We don’t want to compromise quality, but we were paying two full-time teachers who weren’t teaching full-time,” he said. “We had to look at what overall is best. We had to cut $700,000 from somewhere.
“We need to be sure that if we are paying teachers to teach music full-time, they should teach it full-time, not be in a computer lab,” the superintendent said.
Each is at the high school for three periods a day, but teaches only one class during that time, OHS principal Ron Harris said. During the other periods, they have prep periods and extra duties such as supervising study halls and computer labs.
Pam Anderson, whose children have been involved in the music program in Orion, thanked the administrators and board for not eliminating music entirely.
She asked if the administrators included rehearsals before school and lessons after school in their calculation of the time Youngs and Kapusinski worked.
Deets said the music teachers receive a stipend for extra-curricular work, but there was some uncertainty about exactly what the stipend was supposed to cover.
OMS will still offer band and choir for sixth, seventh and eighth graders, Heard said.
At OMS, Youngs and Kapusinski teach music appreciation courses, supervise study halls and give lessons, Heard said.
Lessons for middle school students help the high school band and choir improve, said Teresa Wyant, another parent whose children participated in music in the Orion schools.
“The board knows that concern,” Heard said. “They’ve heard it from me. Your comments are not falling on deaf ears.”
At the middle school, music classes were dropped and the teachers assigned to study halls, former band director Josh Hahn said.
OMS bands and choirs would still compete in organizational contests because students receive a grade for their participation, the principal said. The school would pay the fees.
Bill Gombert, whose children have been involved with the music program at both schools, asked how Orion could maintain quality bands and choirs if the directors are half-time.
Band and choir are unique programs in public schools, Heard said.
They are considered extracurricular activities.
But participation in music helps students do better in other classes, said the principal, who is married to a choir director.
Music develops brains earlier, and students can handle complex learning more easily, he said.
At the OHS forum, athletic director Nathan DeBaillie said extra-curricular activities develop relationships, teamwork, discipline, work ethics, community pride and student enjoyment.
Grade point averages go up with the number of extra-curricular activities students are involved in, DeBaillie said.
Students involved in zero activities average 2.02; students in one, 3.17; students in two, 3.52; and students in three, 3.62, he said.
During this part of his presentation, DeBaillie consistently referred to “athletics.”
A parent said marching band teaches the same lessons as sports, and since the athletic director was allowed to give a speech supporting sports, the band and choir directors should have had a chance to speak on behalf of music.
How many students play football in college, and how many more go on to participate in music? she asked.
DeBaillie said his remarks applied to music, plays and other activities as well as sports.
Test scores increase dramatically for students who are involved in athletics, music and physical education, Kapusinski said.
“The board is aware that the fine arts are a valuable part of education,” Heard said. “But we have to protect the core curriculum.”
“The board is listening to comments about programs,” he concluded. “The final decisions aren’t on the table yet.”
