Petition aims to save band position Posted: June 6, 2013 By Melissa Boughton The Winchester Star

BERRYVILLE — An online petition to save the band director position at Johnson-Williams Middle School is gaining momentum and now has more than 700 signatures.

The Clarke County School Board voted April 29 to eliminate the position — held by Frances Stover — along with other budget cuts made because of a lack of funding. But the decision has not been well-received.

Schools Superintendent Mike Murphy said on Wednesday that the cut — scheduled to take place this fall — was not money-related. He cited a number of reasons, including a decline in music class enrollment at the middle school, as well as increased pressures and class schedule changes to maintain a successful academic curriculum.

“This is a very complicated issue; it’s a very convoluted problem,” he said.

A “Save Clarke Music” petition was started May 1, and as of Wednesday night had 732 signatures.

It reads: “We implore you to sign the petition to request the School Administration and School Board [to] reconsider reinstating the Middle School band director position.”

A “Save Clarke Music” Facebook page and T-shirts also have been created in an effort to persuade the School Board to change its mind.

Parents, community members, former students and others have signed the petition, citing various reasons for lending support.

Many have written about their concern that the high school band director will be taking over Stover’s duties when she leaves.

“The music directors in our county are already going above and beyond and are completely committed to giving back to the students. This is too much to ask for from one director,” wrote Julia Johnson of Berryville.

Julie Kerby of Berryville wrote in the press release that 15 to 20 percent of Clarke County High School students are involved in the music program, and that many of them are among the highest-achieving students in the school.

“We need to support them and provide them with the quality music education they deserve, not overtax the already limited and stressed music staff in the county,” she added.

Murphy said the school division will still have four full-time music educators in the next school year, allowing the system to have one licensed music educator for each one of its four schools.

“We are blessed to have the music staff [that we have],” he said.

The money saved from cutting Stover’s position — about $53,334 with health insurance and benefits — will be used elsewhere, said Murphy, who indicated that the division plans to hire a math coordinator to help students and teachers to be more successful in that subject.

“[We have been] struggling with math for many, many years,” said Murphy, who classified Clarke as a “B school division” in this regard and said it could not afford to become a “C school division.” (He was using classroom grades in his reference — “B” normally means “very good,” and “C” usually indicates “average.”)

“This is not as simple as ‘We want our music teacher back,’” Murphy said.

He added that the School Board was not “picking on music,” and that the panel has been forced to reassess other programs and make cuts in those areas as well.

As an example, he said Clarke County is not offering an emergency medical technician program this year.

If the enrollment isn’t there, officials must adjust, he said, referring to the realities of any program.

“That’s what school divisions all across the country do and that’s what Clarke County is doing right now,” he said.

When asked if he thought the petition would change the board’s decision, he said no.

“But I’m not the decision-maker,” he added.

To view the Save Clarke Music petition, visit change.org/petitions/save-the-middle-school-band-director-position-at-johnson-williams-middle-school-berryville-va.

— Contact Melissa Boughton at mboughton@winchesterstar.com