Central Middle School Music 2015-2016Annual Meeting. Thursday, October 1st, 2015.

What we’ll cover tonight Our Music Directory Each ensemble offered here at Central and how they’re

graded Important dates to save for concerts and field trips Remind App Fund raisers that are run throughout the year The finances of the department now, and moving forward

Music Directory I keep an annual master list of contact information so I can

reach out to parents quickly and efficiently Please go onto my school webpage to fill out the form. It will look like this:

Ensembles offered at Central 6th Grade Band 7th and 8th Grade Band 6th Grade Choir 7th and 8th Grade Choir Jazz Ensemble

6th Grade Band Students meet twice a week:

Once on Mondays, during period 8 (their study hall) for full band Once on either Mondays or Wednesdays, the specific period

depending on the band schedule Copies of the band schedule are available on my website

7th Grade Band Meets twice a week, once for full band, and once for

instrumental lessons Full band is always on Wednesdays, either period 3 or period 8. During the “A” rotation of lessons, full band meets during period 3 During the “B” rotation of lessons, full band meets during period 8 This is done to rotate evenly between students getting pulled out

of gym and foreign language for this rehearsal Students will also meet for instrumental lessons on either

Tuesdays or Thursdays, and the period will rotate from week to week

Full schedule is available on my website

8th Grade Band Meets twice a week, once for full band, and once for

instrumental lessons Full band is always on Thursdays, either period 4 or period 9. During the “A” rotation of lessons, full band meets during period 4 During the “B” rotation of lessons, full band meets during period 9 This is done to rotate evenly between students getting pulled out

of gym and foreign language for this rehearsal Students will also meet for instrumental lessons on either

Tuesdays or Fridays, and the period will rotate from week to week

Full schedule is available on my website

Band Grading 3 weekly grades

Lesson Grade Just show up with your instrument without having to be called down,

and your child gets a hundred Band Grade

Again, just show up with your instrument without having to be called down, and your child gets a hundred

Practice Log Must be signed every Sunday. If not signed, child gets a zero Grade of log proportional to number of time spent during the week

Band Grading (continued) Not signed, automatic 0 Signed with 0 minutes, “50” Signed with 1-19 minutes, “60” Signed with 20-39 minutes, “70” Signed with 40-59 minutes, “80” Signed with 60-89 minutes, “90” Signed with 90-109 minutes, “100” Signed with 110+ minutes, “110”

6th Grade Choir Meets twice a week, Tuesday and Fridays during study hall For students in academic lab or that have specific needs, will

only meet on Fridays Grade is completely based upon participation

7th and 8th Grade Choir Meets 4 days a week (Tuesday-Friday) from 7:45-8:15 Grade entirely based upon participation If your child misses rehearsal, and is absent from school, I

do not need any note or e-mail. If your child does miss rehearsal and is not absent from

school, please just send in a note or an e-mail.

Jazz Band Meets on Fridays Period rotates from week to week No grade is associated with this ensemble

Important Dates Concerts!

Tuesday, December 15th @ 7pm Tuesday, May 24th @ 7pm

WHRHS Marching Band – Friday, October 2nd

NY Philharmonic Orchestra – Wednesday, January 20th

Six Flags – Friday, May 20th Additional trips??? TBA.

Remind Remind is a service (most commonly used as a phone

application) which allows teachers to send out mass messages safely

All parents and students are encouraged to sign up for free You do not need a smart phone to subscribe Used for reminders about trips, ETAs when coming home

from trips, cancellation of 7/8 choir, reminders about rehearsals, etc.

Www.Remind.com and subscribe for my class @mrbirck Non-smart phone can text “@mrbirck” to 909-320-2534

Fundraising Pretzels Poinsettias and Wreaths Shoprite Gift Cards Ziggedy Drinks in the Fridge ??

Pretzels Need parents to pick up Pretzels from the Philly Pretzel

Factory once a week on a rotation We purchase 100 pretzels for $36, sell them for $1 a piece

every Thursday The more parents that sign up, the less often they have to go Has been exceptionally successful in the past

Poinsettias and Wreaths Run by Mrs. Shanagher Flyers go out per Mrs. Shanagher to all 3 schools Parents are asked to come one day in December to help

organize the delivery Very successful every year thanks to Mrs. Shanagher and

our parents

Shoprite Gift Cards People order gift cards at http://tinyurl.com/LongHillShoprite People then bring in checks to me at Central I pick them up and organize them

Would be willing to let a parent organize them if he/she volunteered (Yes, what a huge sacrifice on my part I know)

Once they are organized I send out a mass e-mail to let them know they are available for pick up at Central

They MAY NOT GO HOME WITH STUDENTS There was an issue last year, do not want to repeat it again.

Drinks in the Fridge 4 Organizations (Music, Booster Club, Tiger Talk, & Student

Council) purchase drinks from costco and sell them at lunch time

Money is split 4 ways Nothing for parents to do

??? If you have any ideas I will gladly take them into

consideration

Participation Fees For the first time ever, unless the Board of Education

approves my upcoming request, there will be fees associated with Band and Choir.

The fees originate because of the stipends that are associated with Band and Choir

What is a stipend? A stipend is a paid position that involves instruction outside

of the contracted school day. Stipends are very specific positions negotiated in the

contract. The choral stipend in 2015-2016 $2,540 The band stipend in 2015-2016 is $3,853

Why do these stipends exist? The choral stipend exists because 7th and 8th grade choir is

taught before school 4 days a week. Again, since it’s before school, it warrants additional payment.

It is taught before school because our music staffing is so limited that there is literally no other time in my schedule to run this ensemble, so it’s before school.

What about the band stipend? WHRHS Band Trip NY Phil Harmonic Trip WHRHS Choral Master Classes Six Flags Trip Sending District Honor Band MUJC Evening Concerts After School Rehearsals The Meyersville Tree Lighting The Nursing Home Performance Graduation Band The Patriots Game Sending District Jazz Ensemble Any additional trips we do

Is it common to have stipends like this in school districts? Yes, extremely. Below are the figures for the local sending districts: Greenbrook - $38/hour, max of $5,000 Valley View – Jazz Band - $2,106.44, Select Choir - $526.61, District

Honor Band - $789.92 Warren – One for Jazz band, one for concerts, and one for parades

(numbers not available) WHRHS – Band Director - $5,910-$8,274, depending on hours logged.

Chamber Ensembles - $1,576-$2,364, Jazz Ensemble - $2,364-$3,546 Chatham Middle School – Overall band - $1,463.70, Stage Band -

$2,927.40, Chorus - $1,463.70 Summit Middle School – Chamber Choir - $3,792, Chamber Ensembles

- $3,792, Stage Band - $5,008, Jazz Band, $2,340

Who pays for these stipends in these districts? Their respective Boards of Education pay for all of them. In

all of my research, the only example I found where the BOE doesn’t pay for stipends like this is in Little Falls, which doesn’t have a stipend position. As a result, there are no evening concerts, trips, or any of the other things mentioned in the previous slide

Why doesn’t the Board of Ed cover these stipends During the 2006-2007 school year, the district was in a

financial crisis. Many difficult choices had to be made for the district to survive, and among them was the elimination of funding for almost every stipend. This is why there is a participation fee for many activities, including sports.

They do, however, cover the cost of Student Council ($2,142), Booster Club ($2,142), Pens & Dreams ($732), and Environmental Club ($732).

If these stipends were eliminated in 2007, then why hasn’t band and choir cost anything before? We were told by the BOE President at the time to share the

pain, and after almost losing my job at CMS (I was very close to getting reduced to .5 and would’ve had to find a new job), I wanted to pitch in.

Plus, given that band and choir are graded, curricular courses, I had (and still have) incredibly strong ideological concerns with a dollar amount being attached to graded courses in a public school

With the help of an amazing team of parents, we put together a series of fundraisers that always raised enough money to cover the stipend, and keep the program free.

So why will it cost money this year? Because it’s not 2007 anymore. The district isn’t in financial peril Last year, 8 Teachers and 2 Secretaries that were at the top of the

salary guide retired. One of them retired during the summer, when the budget had already passed with her maximum salary budgeted for

Last year there so much money in the surplus that over $300,000 legally could not have been held onto per New Jersey State Law, and was given back as a tax refund

All of the teachers are now in Tier 4 of insurance contributions, which means the BOE is getting more revenue from staff than ever before.

So why will it cost money this year? (continued) The tax levy can increase 2% on the school budget and not

have the budget come to a vote. This is the tax levy history over the past few years: Last year – 1.1% (Actually 1.10487344) 2014 - .72% 2013 – 1.91% 2012 – Reduction of .23%

The tax 1.1% tax levy increase resulted in a monthly tax increase of $9.12 cents on the average house (when house depreciation was factored in). Had the music stipends been included, the tax levy increase would have been (1.149873%), or $9.49/month.

So why will it cost money this year? (continued) So for $.39 a month (or $4.44 for the average tax payer for

the YEAR), our music department, which involves over 40% of the school, could have been covered by the BOE.

So why will it cost money this year? (continued) Some stipends are covered (ones without curricula), but not

ours The district has recovered from its financial peril Absolutely no other district does this with their music

department

How much will it cost? Short answer? I don’t know. Long answer? The stipend descriptions are murky. The

choral stipend was created because there was simply no time for rehearsal before school. The band stipend in the contract says “Orchestra/Band Advisor” (we don’t, and have never had an Orchestra here), but the documentation behind it lists almost all the same trips, rehearsals, and concerts that the choir kids go on.

How much will it cost? (cont) Why does that matter? Because I don’t know if I’m allowed

to charge a flat music fee (add up both stipends, divide it among the entire music student population), and charge a flat rate to everyone, or if I have to charge the choir kids 1 amount and the band kids another

Further complicating this matter are my 6th grade choir students, who don’t meet before school, but still participate in many of the activities technically covered by the band stipend.

Why aren’t the stipends described more clearly? Because this situation was never anticipated when they were

created. And there is absolutely no precedent that I can find anywhere, because I can’t find a single school district that does this.

However, if I am allowed to charge a flat “music” fee, regardless of ensemble, currently 125 students are in band or choir (or both), and the total cost of the stipends is $6,393.

If no one quits, the cost is $52 per student. Obviously if people quit in light of this, then the cost will go up.

So if the stipends aren’t going to be covered this year, why are you fund raising? Because we still need things. I can use the fund raising

money to Cover the music shirts, Provide music scholarships to parents who are unable to pay the

participation fee Subsidize the trip costs more substantially Purchase disposable needs like reeds and oil Purchase new music Repair instruments Save for long term goals like new instruments, a new music

storage unit, etc.

When will you know if the board has agreed to cover this cost? I will be using my opportunity at the next board meeting to

publicly ask them to review this information, and hopefully cover the cost. I will also request of them to spend a serious amount of time to look everything over, and even meet with me afterwards to fully understand this situation.

Again, this will affect over 40% of CMS this year. It warrants serious consideration from everyone involved.

Questions?