Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Bristol Township school board's decision to eliminate music teachers in the 2011-2012 budget angers residents, students and teachers.
The Bristol Township School Board had their hands full Monday night when they asked for questions and comments from residents. Tempers flared and emotions poured out in the Benjamin Franklin Freshman Academy auditorium. The subject that riled up the crowd? The decision to eliminate music teachers in the 2011-2012 budget. Members of the Truman High School band and peers from various schools music classes united in a rallied plea to the school board to reconsider drastic cuts to the music department. The current proposed budget, with a deadline for approval in early June, will cut the music department by a minimum of three music teachers. The cuts, while saving the budget $255,000, will all but eliminate pre-5 grade music department. “These…
Monday, May 16, 2011
Neshaminy School District students and teachers voice their disapproval of the board cutting physical education and foreign language courses.
During the April 26 and May 10 Neshaminy School District school board meetings, superintendent Louis Muenker presented various budget cost-saving measures. Two of those cost-saving measures were the elimination of tenth grade physical education and eighth grade foreign language classes. The elimination of these two programs would save the district more than $380,000. However, at the May 10 board meeting students and teachers voiced their disapproval of those program cuts. “We should not allow Neshaminy to move backwards,” said Rebecca Johnson, a Neshaminy High School junior from Langhorne. She said eliminating foreign language at the eighth grade level would also eliminate the fifth level of foreign language classes. This elimination will…
Friday, April 22, 2011
Teachers, assistants and entire departments under fire by school district's proposed cuts.
Bristol Township announced the need to cut scores of staff members during a special Bristol School District board meeting. Students, parents and teachers packed the auditorium at Benjamin Franklin Freshman Academy on Thursday night. "This is a difficult time for me because nothing we are going to put in front of you is ultimately going to be any good for our kids," said Bristol Township Superintendent Dr. Samuel Lee to the heart-wrenched crowd. Officials said Gov. Tom Corbett's newly proposed, limited-spending 2011 budget in which education spending drastically downsized, made for the district's difficult decision. The proposed budget reduction will liquidate the Benjamin Franklin Freshman Academy and it will consolidate back into Truman …
Isabel Giordano
12:29 am on Friday, June 3, 2011
I am now reading back and realize that it is the music program for Bristol Township not just the instrumental program but still similar to our situtation last year. One more thing, another way to offset cost is a facility usage fee. Here is an example. The Band Boosters have many fundraisers. We have a band bash, vendor fair and basket raffle held at the High School. We have to pay a fee to hold … more ›