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music Band and Strings Committee Makes Good by Carolyn Pinfield In the spring of 1992, District 44 North Vancouver School Board, facing a $10.2 million budget shortfall, saw no alternative but to eliminate, for the following year, several model and cherished programs, including Elementary Band and Strings. When the cuts werefirstannounced, the home and school community most affected by the District's music program was stunned. We were appalled that the political process that governed this decision had become so convoluted that as a community we were unable to offer our children programs that had become a matter of pride and identity in neighborhoods throughout the school district. Outrage to find a way tofinanceit until we were able to address the larger issues. While the committee has always been philosophically opposed to program fees as a long-term solution for financing school programs, we determined that it was the surest bridge financing we could find. Moreover, while the secondary program was not immediately threatened, parents of secondary students advised us to ask for a volunteer program fee. These parents felt it was a teachable moment, a way to instill in their children an awareness that community is about reciprocity. Furthermore, by asking both elementary and secondary parents to make an advance payment on the $ 175 program fee, the committee would be able to tangibly demonstrate the magnitude of support for the program. Within the remaining weeks, the steering committee enlisted a workforce of 70 inventive and spirited school-based volunteers. These dedicated people communicated with parents, collected fees and tallied the information, tracking the progress of the campaign. The committee held public meetings at local high schools, contacted potential corporate sponsors and examined the economic structure of the program. At the end of eight weeks, using our own budget formula and the financial commitment of $269,000 from elementary school students, $44,000 from voluntary secondary school contributions and $7000 in grants, we had a solution to secure the program for the succeeding year. During those initial intense few weeks, and the ensuing months, the steering committee and the score of school-based volunteers did not forget their responsibility to influence long-term change. Once the program was ensured for the following year, the steering committee, on behalf of the Band & Strings Parents Association, presented a brief to the Provincial Funding Review Panel. The committee urged that planning and funding authority be restored to the community so that we could once again establish a dialogue between all the educational partners in our community-- trustees, administrators, teachers, parents, students, and the community at large. The story ends like all parables. It contains a lesson we already know but too easily forget. Therefore, the story must be told again and again. It is important to remember that inventive and enduring solutions often emerge when critical and creative minds embrace. Finally, we must remember that wc do not have a voice unless we use it: we do not have a community unless wc shape it; we have no wealth unless we educate our children. unlv · : [uve . unlc\nd , -' play ii Editor 's Note: The District 44 School Board has apparently made a commitment to maintain the Elementary Band & Strings Program on an ongoing basis. Elementary parents will, however, be charged a user fee until regular funding for the program can be secured j^EJk ' (tomaie ^ f i f e ^ t j £1 putt w AUGUST 12-15,1993 SECHEIT, 8l VI1M1 Gifcmu Skill* Inmr Guy Viridirriiighr Mtrf Mi l|i M.,,I.Si,,l.. DanNiidli, ·AkhlllOldlUj. Erli WIU.. Sunn Margravi Di.ld (min Alison Griffith! Dirli JUstrsin «·limili Sl.ittHilM. Ann. Sl»l|ilikl Krlil|i« GiiMfl Pal «ri... Mariani llihlar GaoflMijis Aa.a Llidii, With only eight short weeks to change what was apparendy unchangeable, a steering committee was struck. Ten of us were assigned with the responsibility of assembling the collective voice of the community, to challenge the notion that we were powerless to change the situation. Other options had to be explored. We needed to find a tangible way to demonstrate the magnitude of the grassroots support for the program. The children and their music required that of us Fortunately, given the very narrow window of opportunity, we had an immediate clarity of purpose. Because the program was not an isolated curricular event, but one that gained significant impact because of its continuation from year to year, it was necessary to find a solution to at least temporarily secure the program until the larger issues concerning the budget cuts could be addressed. Our steering committee defied the odds and challenged the cliche that a committee never gets anything done. In several ways, the immediacy and enormity of the task worked in our favour. There was no time to bicker or brood. We refused to be distracted from our purpose by internal debate over the structure of our organization, or pressure from outside groups to attend to their agendas. From its inception, the steering committee operated with a fluid and pragmatic procedural style. We knew we had to use every resource and skill available to us. At our bi- and tri-weekly 6:30 a.m. breakfast meetings, we freely assigned tasks to ourselves and each other. It was assumed that we would have to trust one another opportunity or time to procure c Carolyn Pinfield sits on the board of the District 44 Band and Strings Parents' Association. 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