At the Sep. 9 Kingston school board meeting, several parents, community members and school district staff expressed disapproval over Superintendent Paul Padalino’s plan to reduce music lessons from twice per six-day cycle to once in an effort to improve math and reading scores.

Elissa Hansen, a music teacher at Chambers Elementary School, spoke during the public comment portion with several other staff members in the music program. Hansen said that the reduction in music lessons “has the potential to destroy the foundation of a superb program that is decades in the making.”

The Kingston City School District, Hansen said, accepts students of all backgrounds into its bands, orchestras, and choirs year after year, earning awards and distinctions, with the high school having one of the largest marching bands in New York State.

“We strongly believe in and support every aspect of a child's education. We highly value all teachers, all disciplines throughout this district, working tirelessly every day,” Hansen said. “Let's figure something out so that we can continue to nourish the whole child and continue our vision of excellence in everything.”

Ericka Bruck is a parent of a fourth-grader in the district who is starting to play the trumpet. Bruck expressed concern that reducing music lessons could potentially cause weeks without lessons when considering snow days or absences, harming student’s ability to learn their instrument. Bruck also said, “You have to look at what wants to make these children come to school.”

“He's going to become frustrated, and he's going to want to quit something that he is very excited to do,” Bruck said. “A lot of children aren't going to want to go to elementary school to do math or to do reading. They want to go for the extracurricular activities. I think that it teaches them responsibility, how to pack their things up, how to take care of an instrument.”

Emily Daniels, the vice president of John F. Kennedy Elementary School’s Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and president of the Miller Music Boosters, said that her daughter is starting viola and her son is in his fifth year of band, which has “become a very important of his education and of his life.”

Daniels was curious if the reduction was temporary or permanent, and how the district planned to measure whether reduced music lessons are improving test scores. Daniels also said that this decision creates an “access and equity issue,” where parents can read or do math with their children, but may not be able to assist them with an instrument or afford private instruction.

“As a parent, when difficult trade-offs like this have to be made, it's important that we understand the process behind them,” Daniels said. “What data informed this decision, other than the test scores, what alternatives were considered, and how were the potential benefits weighed against possible consequences?”

Later in the meeting, Padalino told the board that the district was continuing to explore ways to provide music lessons without cutting into math or reading, potentially using recess or morning time before classes begin. Padalino said that while the district values the music program, improving math and reading scores is a priority.

“We have multiple state mandates at the elementary level and instrumental music is not one of them. Not that we're saying that we don't want it there,” Padalino said. “Let's be honest: 67 percent of our students are not scoring proficiency in math or reading. We're trying to do the best we can wherever we are, but this is what we're looking at.”