At the Sept. 23 Kingston school board meeting, Trustee Herb Lamb initiated another discussion on the district’s decision to reduce music lessons in an effort to improve math and reading standardized state test scores.

Superintendent Paul Padalino had announced on Aug. 26 that elementary school music lessons will be reduced from twice per six-day cycle to once, which Lamb spoke against.

Lamb began the discussion by asking where the band rehearsal would take place, saying that the last period of the day is going to be used for lesson groups.

“However, that's where in the majority of our buildings band was,” Lamb said. “So, it's not a gain, it's not a pickup. It is status quo. We didn’t gain anything back.”

Padalino said “the band has never been in the school day” for elementary school until the end of the year when they “start pulling more kids together.”

“The people who are making these jobs are the ones who made this schedule,” Padalino said. “Dr. Oliveto [assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction, assessment and data] met with all of our elementary teachers and the heads of the department.”

Stephanie Kearns, a trustee on the school board, said her children have been through the Kingston elementary music programs and agreed that band does not “really get together” until the end of the year. Lamb said, “I still see it as a cut to the program.”

Lamb also wanted to know if the district decision to reduce music lessons was necessary, and if those music lessons resulted in lower attendance or test scores.

“I was promised at the last meeting that we would have a report on what the scores were for kids that are in instrumental music from grade five through 12 and I want to know what their attendance is,” Lamb said.

Padalino said to receive that data, Lamb would have to make a motion and the board would have to vote on it. However, Padalino said for last year’s fourth grade, only 34 percent of music students were proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) and 50 percent proficient in math, which Padalino said is below average for the school district.

Lamb made a motion to see the data on scores and attendance for music students grades 5-12 compared to the general school population, but another trustee, Steven Spicer, made a motion to table the discussion, saying he needed “clarity” and “I don’t know exactly what we’re asking for.”

However, Spicer seemed confused when Rider said that by making a motion to table, he is removing it from further discussion until a motion is made at another meeting to remove it from the table.

The motion to table the request for data passed 6-3, with trustees Marie Anderson, Rita Worthington, Kearns, Spicer, Suzanne Jordan and Marystephanie Corsones voting in favor. Trustees Lamb, Marc Rider and Michael Detweiler voted against the motion.