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Belpre marching band cut
School board also approves eliminating 12 staff positionsBy Jolene Craig, Special to The Times
POSTED: May 20, 2008
BELPRE — Belpre City Schools District Board of Education approved a motion Monday night to not have a marching band for the coming school year.
The four board members voted to approve the “non-renewal” of the marching band and flags supplemental contracts for the 2008-2009 school year.
Board President Rod Hineman said the district chose to eliminate the marching band and flags programs because of the low participation numbers.
“There were 13 students in the band this year,” Hineman said. “It’s not a credible marching band. . . it just made sense to cut the program.”
Sharon Cooper, president of the Belpre Band Boosters, said she is disappointed because she thought the board would have a discussion about the elimination of the program and let supporters speak.
“How can you have a Friday night football game with no marching band?” Cooper said. “It makes no sense.”
Cooper said the marching band program is self-supporting and does fundraising to pay for competitions and other things the program needs.
“The parents are supportive and willing to go out next year,” she said. “The kids are devastated.”
The district will continue the instrumental music program as a class.
The elimination of the marching band program also means the elimination of the second band director position, now held by Andy Bennekamper. The loss of the flags program means flags director Steve Collins will not be re-hired in the supplemental position next year. Collins is not a regular employee of the district as Bennekamper is.
Bennekamper will lose his job because he has the least seniority of the two band instructors.
It is unknown how much money the district will save by terminating these programs and two positions, said Superintendent Harry Fleming.
The district is expected to vote on the elimination of Bennekamper’s position during the June 23 meeting, Fleming said.
In keeping with the restructuring, the board also approved the reduction-in-force of 10 classified positions.
The positions include one secretary, two cooks and two custodians at Stone Elementary School. The other positions in this agenda item are a teacher/library aide at Belpre Elementary School, one 17¢hour kindergarten aide and all 3¢ hour kindergarten aide positions.
These positions will be reposted and bid by seniority, Fleming said.
These cuts are a number of many the district has been working on since realizing it was not able to keep running in the same manner.
In April, the board voted in favor of a reorganization plan that would close Stone Elementary, move kindergarten through sixth-grade students to Belpre Middle School and move the seventh- through 12th-graders to the high school campus, using both Belpre Elementary and Belpre High School there.
Including staff cuts and leaving one building empty, the plan is expected to save the district more than $400,000 next year.
The four board members voted to approve the “non-renewal” of the marching band and flags supplemental contracts for the 2008-2009 school year.
Board President Rod Hineman said the district chose to eliminate the marching band and flags programs because of the low participation numbers.
“There were 13 students in the band this year,” Hineman said. “It’s not a credible marching band. . . it just made sense to cut the program.”
Sharon Cooper, president of the Belpre Band Boosters, said she is disappointed because she thought the board would have a discussion about the elimination of the program and let supporters speak.
“How can you have a Friday night football game with no marching band?” Cooper said. “It makes no sense.”
Cooper said the marching band program is self-supporting and does fundraising to pay for competitions and other things the program needs.
“The parents are supportive and willing to go out next year,” she said. “The kids are devastated.”
The district will continue the instrumental music program as a class.
The elimination of the marching band program also means the elimination of the second band director position, now held by Andy Bennekamper. The loss of the flags program means flags director Steve Collins will not be re-hired in the supplemental position next year. Collins is not a regular employee of the district as Bennekamper is.
Bennekamper will lose his job because he has the least seniority of the two band instructors.
It is unknown how much money the district will save by terminating these programs and two positions, said Superintendent Harry Fleming.
The district is expected to vote on the elimination of Bennekamper’s position during the June 23 meeting, Fleming said.
In keeping with the restructuring, the board also approved the reduction-in-force of 10 classified positions.
The positions include one secretary, two cooks and two custodians at Stone Elementary School. The other positions in this agenda item are a teacher/library aide at Belpre Elementary School, one 17¢hour kindergarten aide and all 3¢ hour kindergarten aide positions.
These positions will be reposted and bid by seniority, Fleming said.
These cuts are a number of many the district has been working on since realizing it was not able to keep running in the same manner.
In April, the board voted in favor of a reorganization plan that would close Stone Elementary, move kindergarten through sixth-grade students to Belpre Middle School and move the seventh- through 12th-graders to the high school campus, using both Belpre Elementary and Belpre High School there.
Including staff cuts and leaving one building empty, the plan is expected to save the district more than $400,000 next year.
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View Comments: | 1-3 | Post a comment
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Indian
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05-20-08 4:00 PM
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I have seen bigger bands playing at a school dance. How can you call 13 kids a band. If the district did not make that cut they would not be fiscally responsible. Some might even call them loco. Good call. If the football teams drops to 13 players, drop it also.
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Animallover
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05-20-08 3:55 PM
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Now what will these kids do? This is how kids get in trouble they have to much time on their hands and get in trouble. It's just sad they are cutting so many things for these great kids.
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pioneernative
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05-20-08 10:29 AM
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Since there will still be an instrumental class, couldn't they play as sort of a pep band during football games? Just a suggestion.
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