Doing more with less is a cliché most people in the working world are tired of hearing, or of being asked to carry out. But sometimes it actually holds true, and works.
A perfect case in point may be the situation with the band program at the Monroe Middle and High schools. Last spring, when the decision was made by the Monroe school board and administration to reduce the number of band instructors at the two schools from four to three, there were many expressions of concern about how the quality of the instrumental programs and student opportunities would diminish.
The quality of the programs is something that will take considerable time to assess, but news from this week's school board meeting would suggest the student opportunities actually could increase.
The board learned that marching band will be returned to the music department's curriculum as early as this fall. The district has been without a marching band for several years, a fact that was driven home last September when some people complained that the Monroe High School students playing in the 2008 Cheese Days parade were on the back of a truck rather than marching. Only then did many people realize the district didn't actually have a marching band anymore!
But the instructors, after having meetings with some district administrators, are looking to reintroduce a marching band.
They also are planning to have all three instructors working at both of the schools. Before, two instructors worked at Monroe Middle School and two at the high school. School board members liked the plan and called it creative. As it was explained to them, having teachers working both schools will give them a vested interest in the program at all levels.
While it would have been preferable for the schools' band program to retain all four positions, the district's finances and spending priorities simply did not allow it. Rather than sulking, the department's instructors apparently have turned the situation into an opportunity to make changes and become more efficient.
It's a commendable approach, and a good lesson for students, and the community, to learn.
A perfect case in point may be the situation with the band program at the Monroe Middle and High schools. Last spring, when the decision was made by the Monroe school board and administration to reduce the number of band instructors at the two schools from four to three, there were many expressions of concern about how the quality of the instrumental programs and student opportunities would diminish.
The quality of the programs is something that will take considerable time to assess, but news from this week's school board meeting would suggest the student opportunities actually could increase.
The board learned that marching band will be returned to the music department's curriculum as early as this fall. The district has been without a marching band for several years, a fact that was driven home last September when some people complained that the Monroe High School students playing in the 2008 Cheese Days parade were on the back of a truck rather than marching. Only then did many people realize the district didn't actually have a marching band anymore!
But the instructors, after having meetings with some district administrators, are looking to reintroduce a marching band.
They also are planning to have all three instructors working at both of the schools. Before, two instructors worked at Monroe Middle School and two at the high school. School board members liked the plan and called it creative. As it was explained to them, having teachers working both schools will give them a vested interest in the program at all levels.
While it would have been preferable for the schools' band program to retain all four positions, the district's finances and spending priorities simply did not allow it. Rather than sulking, the department's instructors apparently have turned the situation into an opportunity to make changes and become more efficient.
It's a commendable approach, and a good lesson for students, and the community, to learn.
