LETTER: Don’t let funding cuts take away Port-Saukville schools’ rich legacy and ‘bright future of the arts’

This is regarding Port Washington-Saukville School District funding and the proposed music department reductions and reorganization.

I am a 1991 graduate of Port Washington High School. I went on to teach music at both the middle school and high school level for almost 20 years before earning advanced degrees in online teaching and curriculum design. While teaching in one of the poorest districts in Wisconsin, I was awarded the national Mr. Holland’s Opus Teacher of the Year award at Carnegie Hall. When I walked on that stage, I carried a note card in my pocket that listed every single teacher in every single subject that I had in my K-12 education in Port Washington. Although they were retired or had passed on, they all played a role in who I became and earned a spot on that stage with me. I have no doubt that the current teachers would be just as deserving.

The PWSSD and its School Board and taxpayers have been put in an unwinnable situation by 15-plus years of state funding formulas that have brought other districts to their knees. I understand that the School Board will want to consider all options for balancing the budget to avoid cutting programs or positions. I want to share some firsthand experiences as a former music student and music teacher.

Creative arts teachers often have the advantage of teaching students for six to eight semesters. They get to watch students grow and mature during critical and volatile times by shaping a teen’s ability for self-expression and sense of belonging. The arts are integral to raising children who are collaborative, creative and communicative.

We are teaching students who will be alive in the 22nd century. With the emergence of AI, we need to preserve what truly sets them apart from and above machines—creativity. The arts teach us to be on the same side of an issue while looking for a common goal, for harmony, to wrestle with ambiguity and big ideas, not for an enemy to outscore or decimate, or for binary solutions to complex problems.

When I was a band director, some of my best conversations with students took place outside of the instructional day. We would have lessons, we would talk about music theory, scholarships or colleges, listen to performers and plan futures.

I was able to arrange mental health support for more than one student over the years. I consoled a student whose mother died that morning, and he came to school because he didn’t know what else to do, and I celebrated with another student who became the first in his family to be accepted to college. He came to the band room first because he knew I’d be there.

Please don’t underestimate the value that these “beyond the bell” interactions have for students and teachers.

Putting students first and putting their needs at the center of every decision leads to exceptional educational experiences. One of the ways to do that is to take care of the educators who are in front of students for eight or more hours a day. They can see patterns of behavior, when something isn’t quite right, when an extra five minutes of attention at the beginning or the end of the day means a child can face a bully or a demanding situation at home or at school. I wouldn’t be who I am today; in fact, I wouldn’t BE if it weren’t for the time I spent outside of the bells with the dedicated teachers I had at TJMS and PWHS.

I urge PWSSD leaders to consider all the options when making a decision that would affect music students, teachers and the rich legacy and bright future of the arts in the district.