Parents of Riverside Brookfield High School music students made their pitch to District 208 school board last week in an attempt to sway the school board to reject the school administration’s recommendation to maintain music teacher staffing at 2.6 full- time equivalent teachers next year. Instead, music parents want three full-time music teachers at RBHS.
The administration will present its detailed staffing recommendation at the March 12 school board meeting, but has already made clear what their music staffing recommendation will be.
“The staffing for music is 2.6 and there are no reductions planned for next school year,” District 208 Superintendent Kevin Skinkis told the Landmark in an interview. “We committed to 2.6 last year and I’m committed to 2.6 this year to continue to give them a second year to rebound from Covid.”
RBHS has not had three full time music teachers since former band director Kevin McOlgan retired in 2012. But music parents and supporters say three full time teachers are what is needed. This year the two full time music teachers are James Baum and Matthew Loeb. Choir teacher Kayley Smetana is a .6 FTE, teaching three choir classes. Seven music parents spoke during the public comment portion of the school board meeting making the case for three full time music teachers. A few expressed concern that Smetana, who was hired in 2021, will leave if she is not made a full time teacher.
“If our choir teacher is not offered a full-time position she will probably leave,” said Liz Buoscio, who along with Maggie White presented a 12-slide Power Point presentation to the school board.
Smetana was originally hired in 2021 as a .9 FTE for a year in which Loeb had a joint position with Riverside Elementary School District 96. But when District 96 ended that arrangement after one year, Loeb’s seniority pushed him ahead of Smetana, who has held a .6 FTE position the last two years. Last year, Smetana was originally cut to a one class, a .2 FTE position, but was bumped up to a .6 over the summer after an outcry from music supporters and after final enrollment numbers came in.
In addition to teaching three choir classes, Smetana supervises study halls at RBHS for two periods a day and has three stipend positions. She is being paid a total of $65,052 this year: $39,334.46 for teaching three classes, $10,698.40 for supervising two study halls plus a $500 bonus for being a certified teacher doing some non-certified work. She also earns $8,378 for being the vocal music director at the school, $5,212 for being the vocal director of the spring musical, and $930 for being the head sponsor of the new Acapella Club.
Music parent Patrick Williams, a professional musician himself, told the school board that having music teacher supervise a study hall is not the best use of a music teacher’s talent.
“We should be utilizing them for their talents, not having them supervising study halls,” Williams said during his public comment.
The music supporters gathered 1,763 signatures, at least 770 from District 208 residents, in about three weeks on an online petition.
“We have overwhelming support from the community,” White told the school board. “We aren’t just a handful of parents asking for handouts for our kids. We have taken this issue to the community and they have spoken loud and clear.”
Buoscio and White also presented a slide showing that some schools similar in size to RBHS have more music teachers compared to music students. Oak Lawn Community High School, with fewer music students than RBHS, has four full-time music teachers. Plainfield North, a larger school than RBHS, but one with fewer students enrolled in music classes, also has the equivalent of four full-time music teachers.
RBHS administrators said that staffing decisions are based on student interest and enrollment. In the current school year, 352 RBHS students, or about 22 percent of all RBHS students, are taking at least one music class. Next year, that number will increase by 10 as 362 students have signed up to take at least one music class. But as recently as the 2020-21 school year, 501 students took a music class at RBHS and in the 2019-20 term, 500 students did. Administrators have been working with the music and theater sponsors group to try to help them boost music enrollment. For next year, supporters got the school to offer a Buddies choir class, a class designed for special education students and general education students, but only six students reportedly signed up for the class so it will not be offered.
Buoscio and White’s PowerPoint also presented a staffing scenario using three full- time teachers for the classes that are being offered next year. The scenario relies on the concert and symphonic band classes being co-taught. This year, symphonic marching band is being co-taught by Baum and Loeb. For next year, 45 students have signed up for the symphonic marching band class and 36 students have signed up for the concert marching band class, compared to 44 and 27 this year.
To create another teaching slot this year, administrators split up the jazz band and the honors jazz ensemble classes, which had been typically taught together by one teacher. This year they had separate teachers despite meeting during the same class period. Music supporters would like that to continue, but it could end next year as one additional music class will be offered this year, AP Music Theory, which is offered every other year.
Parents speaking at the school board meeting emphasized the value in splitting up and jazz ensemble students saying that model gives teachers more time to work with individual students.
“The jazz band and jazz ensemble being split this year has truly benefited students giving all of them opportunities to grow and learn,” Williams said.
Next year, RBHS will offer 12 music classes, two of which are only one semester long, compared to 11 classes, two just one semester long which are being offered in the current school year.
School boards seldom reject the recommendations of administrators. School board president Deanna Zalas gave a general comment when asked her position on the issue over the weekend but perhaps indicated what way she was leaning.
“I respect their passion,” Zalas said of the music parents and supporters. “They’re very passionate, very organized, but we have to think about what’s best for 1,600 students.”