The Advocate’s Plan: Saving and Building Music Programs for Life This presentation is designed to help you become a more effective advocate for your children and your community. It will show you the importance of organizing a community coalition for saving and building the music program in your school district. It is not intended that all the information or assistance you may need to save your program in a crisis is contained in this presentation. Rather, it will help you understand how the educational system functions, get organized, and gather the kind of information necessary to save your program should a crisis occur. Dr. John L. Benham © Music In World Cultures, Inc., 1986, 2001, 2006

The mission of education is not TEACHING children – it is children LEARNING The author has asked over 30,000 people the question “What is the mission of education?” Over 99.9% have responded that the mission of education was to teach or educate children. This is not the case! The mission of education is children learning. The difference is vast, and may be the most significant issue before education today. When the mission is perceived as teaching, decision-making becomes adult-centered; that is, what is good for teachers is assumed to be good for children. When the focus of the mission is children learning, the issue becomes assessment and decision-making centered on student need and outcome.

. . . caring enough to put the STUDENT FIRST! Advocacy Is … . . . caring enough to put the STUDENT FIRST! Advocacy implies willingness on the part of professionals and the community to do what is necessary to save, restore and expand educational opportunities for student participation in music. In other words, we are not focusing on saving music teachers, we are concerned with saving opportunities for students. Of course, you will need to save teachers to do that.

3 Keys to Success: 1. The Procedure 2. The Parents 3. The Profession There are three primary keys to success in building or saving a music program: Understanding the timeline and process by which decisions are made in a school district The presence of an active and organized Music Coalition A unified music teaching profession including a written and assessed curriculum

1st Key to Success: The Procedure It is important to understand the timeline and process by which decisions are made in a school district. The advocate’s goal is to influence key decisions before they are made. Knowing when decisions are made and who the key players are in the decision-making process is essential to being an effective advocate. Understanding the timeline and process by which decisions are made in a school district.

The Model District All collaborating to focus on student learning • The Community • The School Board • The Administration • The Educational Community All collaborating to focus on student learning The law constructs a model for how the various players should fit together to make the system work for the benefit of the students. The system is referred to as “public” education because the public owns it, pays for it, and has the right and responsibility to determine educational policy for its children through its elected board. The board is a public servant acting as community liaison, establishing policy and evaluating the system through its administration to insure that community wishes are fulfilled. The administration is a servant to the community and board and has the primary responsibility of carrying out community-established policy, and making sure that each member of the educational community understands and does the same. The best decisions are made when the most student-centered people (the parents or community) are involved. The advantage of a collaborative decision-making process that involves the community is that the community is the only entity that can keep the decision-making process focused on learning, the student-centered issue. A collaborative decision-making process also frees the administration and board from the full “political” responsibility for a decision.

The Typical District • Administration & School Board • Teachers’ Union • Community Excluded Focused on adult-centered issues such as money and power, with little or no community involvement The normal practice of decision-making in a school district is: The administration makes centralized or site-based recommendations and decisions as empowered by the board. This can happen by intent or default. The board approves or disapproves, often appearing as “rubber stamps,” because no one else gives them any information. Depending on the amount of power associated with a particular union, teachers may or may not be involved in the process; usually music teachers are not involved. This decision-making process tends to be adult-centered because the community is either intentionally excluded (your participation is not wanted or valued), or excluded by default (no one shows up at board meetings). Without the involvement of the community, decisions tend to be driven by whatever adult issues are present, such as salary and teaching schedules, educational reforms or money. Such decisions are power-based and adult or teacher-centered. That is, whoever claims the power gets the decision to go their way; and since the community is not a participant, kids often lose. A key question always needs to be asked: What will the short- and long-term effects of this decision be on the child?

Making Decisions Decision Makers: • The Law • Normal Practice Decision Drivers: • Yearly Schedule • Adult Priorities • Student Issues In understanding the decision-making process: Determine the normal practice in your district – who or what body is the primary decision maker, and where do they get their information? How does that compare with what the law says about the public right and responsibility to determine school district policy? What/who are the decision-drivers in your district? It’s important to recognize the distinction between decision-makers and decision-drivers. The decision-makers will nearly always take their cues from the decision-drivers.

Decision Driver: Schedule • Fall: Initial Budget Discussions • January: Registration (MS/HS) First Public Awareness Excess Levy Votes Threats vs. Promises (Surveys) • March: Pink Slips (Cuts) • June: Budget Decision Deadline • September: Program Reinstatement The primary pressure on when to make decisions comes from a variety of adult-centered issues. The administration and board: Begin initial budget discussions early in the fall. If there is an impending financial crisis, it is often kept quiet until other factors that may affect their budgetary decisions are clarified. The first public awareness usually comes in January, because that is when materials must be completed for student registration packets. Registration information then is used to determine staffing needs for the next budget year. If there is a call for a tax vote or referendum to increase school funding that will also become a driving force, and may alter the timeline. It is often the case that the district will then make threats as to what programs may be cut if there is a funding shortage. This often backfires, because parents may be angered by threats against their children. Sometimes a district takes a survey as to what is most or least important in the curriculum. Then if the tax levy fails, the public is blamed, or the vote is interpreted as a mandate. The next issue that drives the decision-making process is the legal requirement to notify teachers who will or may be cut. The real or final decision on the budget normally does not have to be made until the last day of the fiscal year, usually June 30. Even then, programs or teachers can often be reinstated as late as the beginning of the next school year.

Influencing Decisions • Get involved in the process • Proactive vs. Reactive involvement • Get organized Every individual in the community has a right to be involved in the process, but some manners of involvement are more likely to be successful than others.. Parent and advocacy groups should pay attention to the schedule decision-drivers and plan their activities to be proactive rather than reactive. It’s much easier to influence a decision that hasn’t yet been made than to undo a decision that the players within the system see as final. The key to being proactive is to get organized!

Remember . . . PROCESS IS POLITICS! How do you get the administration and board to listen to those who truly represent the interests of the students? It takes voters! Regardless of how strong a case you may have or make to save (or build) your program, the administration needs to see voters to make them decide in your favor. The educational system is essentially politically-based because it is a product of public elections and tends to focus on adult-centered issues in the decision-making process. The largest single factor to decision makers is their perception of prevailing public opinion. If the board and administration understand that the majority of their constituents support a strong music program, they will be very unlikely to make decisions that weaken the music program. This is the major reason for organizing a unified Music Coalition – to broaden your political power. Numbers speaking in a unified voice are much louder than a small group of angry parents. “The decision belongs to those who show up!” Dr. Dennis R. Morrow

Seek Positive Reform Reform Means Change it does NOT guarantee Most educational reforms are instituted for reasons other than improving students’ outcome. Clarify which issues are adult-centered and which are student-centered. Carry all proposals for change out to the effect on student learning – determining what really happens to the student on a short-term or long-term basis. Short-sighted decision-making can come back to haunt a district in many ways. For example: Districts that adopt a “middle school” configuration often do so because they are out of space in the elementary schools; and they often simply move grade 6 students to another site while changing little or nothing that really improves student learning. Then they cut the elementary instrumental feeder system. Districts adopt “block schedule” to improve learning; but in most examples the teachers have significantly less teaching time, while the students may lose 6 to 8 weeks of instructional time per course. Similar adult-centered scenarios may be developed upon examination of voucher systems, or “school-to-work” proposals. it does NOT guarantee improvement!

2nd Key to Success: The Parents The key to a Music Coalition is that it should empower parents to participate in and influence the decision-making process. An organized Music Coalition is the most effective way for parents to influence the decision-making process in the school district.

ALL SCHOOLS • ALL LEVELS • MUSIC TEACHERS • MUSIC COMMUNITY The Music Coalition ORCHESTRA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE BAND CHOIR Parents and community members with an interest in providing quality music education for the children of the district must get organized into a Music Coalition. This is not a general music, band, choir, or orchestra issue – it is a music issue. The coalition must be configured as a single organization, with subdivisions for each curricular area within the music curriculum. Teachers may be divided, but parents often are already unified because they have one or more children in multiple areas of the music curriculum. The central Executive Committee should have representation from each school and each curricular area to provide for balanced and student-centered decisions. GENERAL MUSIC ALL SCHOOLS • ALL LEVELS • MUSIC TEACHERS • MUSIC COMMUNITY

The Music Coalition Teams: 1. Communications 2. Administrative Liaison 3. Statistics and Finance 4. Philosophy and Curriculum To maximize your effectiveness, at least four committees or teams are important within the structure of the Music Coalition: Communications Administrative Liaison Statistics and Finance Philosophy and Curriculum Without strategic community support, individuals, including music teachers, have no power within the structure of the educational system. The idea of the coalition is to bring the operation of the school district as close as possible to the ideal district as defined by law.

1. Communications Team: • Recruit/Activate Parent Support Groups • Develop & Maintain Mailing Lists • Establish Rapid-call Telephone Bank • Develop & Publish Music Newsletter • Use the Press to Inform and Educate The Communications Team has the roles of informing and educating the community at large as well as mobilizing the members of the Coalition in a timely manner. Each concert or event should have a table for people to join the coalition. There should be at least a small fee for membership or people will not take ownership. Computerized mailing lists and telephone banks should be established for distribution of newsletters or emergency notification of meetings in the event of a crisis. A District Music Newsletter should be published by the Coalition to broaden the base of community support and ownership of the program. You should also take advantage of the media to keep your program before the greater public. The website at www.SupportMusic.com has a large amount of useful information that can be communicated to the general public.

2. Administrative Liaison Team: • Establish Lines of Communication with Administration • Acquire Knowledge of Administrative Proposals • Develop & Present Music Proposals • Representation at School Board Meetings • Recruit, Train, Support, & Elect School Board Members This team is vitally important for communication between the Coalition and the administration. There should be a highly visible and involved representative in each school in your district. At least one easily identifiable member should also be at each meeting of the board. This provides accountability for communication and should prevent the possibility of being caught off guard concerning decisions that could negatively affect the music program. This group also should serve as a political action committee to elect should board members that will support arts education in the schools. Establish Lines of Communication with Administration Acquire Knowledge of Administrative Proposals Develop & Present Music Proposals Representation at School Board Meetings Recruit, Train, Support, & Elect School Board Members

3. Statistics & Finance Team: • Maintain Statistical Data • Work with Administrative Liaison to Develop Proposals • Manage All Fund-raising Activities & Monies • Assist in Development & Presentation of Music Budget This team fulfills the role of a Music Supervisor or Coordinator in the absence of such a position. When a Music Supervisor is available this committee can serve as the primary community support base for that person. Relevant statistical information should be maintained each year that provides a profile of student involvement in music, and the financial viability of the program. This committee should also be responsible for management of any fund-raising activities. Do not let your music teachers be responsible for these funds, since it may put them in a position of political jeopardy. Also: Remember that the better you are at fund-raising the less you are apt to get from your rightful share of the district budget. It is best to establish specific policies as to extra-budget support. It is recommended that such funds be used only for those items/events that cannot be justified as part of the regular budget. For example: One time special events or extra-curricular activities.

4. Philosophy & Curriculum Team: • Assist in Development of District Music Philosophy & Policy • Assist in Development of Student-centered Curriculum • Present to School Board for Official Adoption as District Policy This team should work with and support the music program by establishing written statements of philosophy and district policy related to the right of a student to participate in music and why. It should also work to insure that a written music curriculum and system of assessment is in place that meets the National Standards for Music Education.* Finally, these items should be presented to the School Board for official adoption as district policy. The National Standards are an excellent guide upon which to base a local policy. Total student enrollment, available school buildings and facilities, status of current music program and other local factors will figure into your philosophy/policy statements. The important thing is that the statements reflect the wishes of the community with respect to music education. * See the National Standards for Music Education at www.menc.org/publication/books/standards.htm

3rd Key to Success: The Profession Music teachers only have power as it is given to them by those in authority over them! This comes as a real shock to many music teachers who think that no one will challenge their power. Advocates should have a close working relationship with music teachers for obvious reasons. It’s important for advocates to remember that teachers need the support of advocates to give them a strong voice in the system. Music teachers acquire power when they are: …professionally united and …facilitate an active Music Coalition. The real political power of a music program lies in its community coalition. Administrators do NOT fire parents. Teachers and advocates need to work together for the benefit of the students.

Music Teachers ORCHESTRA MUSIC EDUCATION BAND CHOIR GENERAL MUSIC A lack of unity makes teachers susceptible to the Divide-and-Conquer game. Teachers cannot afford to be isolationists: Too many classes, not enough time in the staff lounge. Teachers must take time to establish relationships which provide trust. Teachers cannot afford to have curricular arrogance: Everything should revolve around us! Even within our departments we hear the phrase “MY GROUP”. Teachers must make unified decisions that insure a music education for all students. GENERAL MUSIC

Music Curriculum CURRICULAR MUSIC EDUCATION COCURRICULAR Music is unique in the school curriculum in that it is one of the few school activities that can be curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular. Music is Curricular: Held during the school day; funded out of the general education budget; primarily an intellectual pursuit, not just an activity. Music is Co-curricular: Some “curricular” outcomes take place outside the school day (final exams, I.e. concerts) Music is Extra-curricular: When any music organization takes on a role of public service or public relations they assume this role. This may include providing music for extra-curricular school events, or outside organizations like Kiwanis or Lions Clubs. Unfortunately, this is the only time when many decision-makes observe us, so they tend to cut here first. COCURRICULAR EXTRACURRICULAR

Music Curriculum Written, sequential teaching objectives with student outcomes that are . . . • Specific • Achievable • Measurable Every program needs a written curriculum meeting the National Standards for Music Education; but, it means nothing if there is no system of assessment in place for evaluation of student achievement. If you are not assessing student achievement, then you are not and cannot evaluate instruction.

Crisis Management In any crisis . . . Identify the issues first! • Faculty Issues • Curricular Issues • Student Participation Issues • Economic Issues When a crisis arises, the first thing to do is to identify the issues. Which issues are adult-centered? Which issues are student-centered? What is really driving the decision? You must define the issues of any educational reform or financial crisis from the perspective of short and long term effects on faculty, the curriculum, student opportunities to participate, and the financial effect on the district. The board and administration have to see this in written and/or graphic form. Every situation you face as an advocate will have one or more of these issues in play. Your first step should be to separate the issues, and then to consider which ones are most important to the overall solution. Lumping the issues together under “The Problem” may make a solution unduly complex and more difficult to achieve. Each issue may have adult and student-centered facets, including: Philosophical issues Personal issues Examine each issue carefully, looking for hidden agendas and secondary issues.

Target the Issues Reform Budget Crisis Hidden Cuts Hidden Agendas Are you dealing with educational reform, a financial crisis, legislative manipulation or some other hidden agenda? Which decisions will be made by the central administration (superintendent level) and which by the site administration (principal level)? Hidden cuts occur in music programs when a budget line item is reduced but does not specifically name or identify music. The most common example is when the central administration specifies increases in staffing ratio (more students per teacher). This action by the central administration specifies a reduction in staff but it is the autonomous decision of the site administrator as to which position or curriculum shall be cut. Music programs are often vulnerable in this scenario. Hidden Cuts Hidden Agendas

The Financial Crisis Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Strategies for the most common school issue— Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Remember that a financial crisis usually exposes the real educational philosophy of any administrator or school board. The greatest significance in a financial crisis is the status of the General Fund. It is usually the largest fund and is the fund that pays for salaries and related costs of personnel. Between 85% and 90% of the total budget of a district may be dedicated to personnel. Therefore, a financial crisis nearly always effects staffing. Resultant cuts will be based upon what are commonly called FTE (Full Time Equivalent) values. A 1.0 FTE equates to definition of a full time teacher based upon the number of courses taught per day, and the AVERAGE daily student load of a teacher. If the normal teacher load is 5 classes, that would equal 1.0 FTE. One of those five classes would then equal .2 FTE. In the budgetary process ALL teachers are calculated as having the same number of students and making the same amount of money (“average teacher salary”). As we will see, this budgetary assumption is often misleading when it comes to music teachers.

Average Student Loads Comparison (Music/non-music) FTE Classification Classes x Students Student Load 1.0 Non-music Classroom Teacher 5 x 30 150 1.0 Music Performance Teacher 5 x 40 200 2.0 Teachers 350 1.0 Non-music Classroom Teacher 5 x 30 150 1.0 Replacement Teacher 5 x 30 150 .4 Replacement Teacher 2 x 25 50 2.4 Teachers 350 The FTE value of a teacher is based upon the ACTUAL student load of any teacher (SFR, or student-faculty ratio) as he/she relates to the average value of 1.0 FTE. The more students assigned to a specific class or teacher, the greater the financial value of that teacher. This is normally the music performance teacher (band, choir, orchestra). Therefore, it is never financially advisable to eliminate a music performance teacher! The above table illustrates the relative value of a music performance teacher to a regular classroom teacher. It assumes the average student load of a 1.0 FTE teacher is 150 students, and the average student load of a music performance teacher is 200. Numbers will, of course, vary greatly from district to district. It is also important to realize that only part of a music performance teacher’s load may be in band, choir and/or orchestra; and therefore, they may not actually be a 1.0 FTE in their area. Each teacher load must be carefully calculated or your figures will be inaccurate, potentially undermining the credibility of your analysis. The significance of this disparity is seen in the next slide. 1.0 FTE Music Teacher = 1.4 Classroom Teacher Music Teacher Financial Value = 1.4 FTE

Reverse Economics 5.2 FTE Cut Projected savings - $156,000 4 $378,000 3 ANNUAL BUDGET MISCALCULATION $534,000 $300,000 2529 2 $192,000 In this district case study, the administration proposed the elimination of 5.2 FTE band and orchestra instructors to “save” $156,000. There were 2529 students (grades 4-12) involved in those two programs. Cuts would have necesitated the elimination of nearly 1800 students the first year, requiring the addition of 6.4 FTE classroom teachers to replace the 5.2 FTE music performance teachers proposed for elimination. In other words, instead of saving $156,000, they would have been required to spend $192,000 the first year on replacement teachers with lesser FTE value. By year five, the annual budget miscalculation would have been $534,000. ($156,000 anticipated cut + $378,000 for 12.6 FTE replacement classroom teachers). This loss of student participation is based upon extensive national case studies that indicate the elimination of an elementary feeder system will cause a minimum 65% loss in student participation at the secondary level within two to four years. This is in part because no new elementary students will be started (in this case) until year three, and a similar amount of students will have been graduated. 1 736 360 Hundred Thousand $$ Year 1 3 5 New Classes New Classroom FTE 29 6.4 50 10.0 63 12.6

Action Strategy Make Impact Statements! Never suggest cuts or compromise! Make Impact Statements! The Coalition should never suggest cuts or be forced into providing suggestions for compromise. It takes the board and administration off the political “hook,” and makes the Coalition responsible for the decision. This is especially true for music teachers and music coordinators! Instead, learn to develop impact statements. Impact statements are responses that demonstrate in tangible ways what the long term effect of an administrative proposal will be on the faculty, curriculum, student participation, and district financial situation. “If the administration decides (X), then (Y) is what will happen to the faculty, curriculum, students and budget.”

Where Do You Stand? Be an Advocate! • In Denial? • Helpless? • Apathetic? Most people start out in a state of denial that there is or will be any attack on the music program. They are wrong. When cuts are approved by the administration and school board, they assume there is nothing they can do about it. They are wrong. There are some who just don’t care. There are many who are willing and able to fight…recruit, train and develop the leadership! Be an Advocate!

For Assistance: Dr. John L. Benham Music In World Cultures, Inc. 3900 Bethel Drive St. Paul, MN (USA) 55112 Office: (651) 635-8015 or (763-232-6018) Fax: (651) 635-8004 E-mail: j-benham@att.net