Voice your support for
Fairbanks band & orchestra programs TODAY!
updated on March 20, 2023
SPEAK UP FOR MUSIC ED - TESTIFY AT TUESDAY'S 3/21/23 SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
Members of the West Valley High School Jazz Band will perform for the board at the outset of the meeting. Student musicians selected for All-State and All-Northwest will also be recognized. Lets add our voices, via our testimony, to show our support for music education in Fairbanks schools! With a $17 million deficit, and the budget conversation well underway, it's essential the school board understands that music is a core part of our kids' education. Click HERE for the meeting schedule, sign-up instructions, and guidance for preparing your testimony.
updated on March 30, 2022
SCHOOL BOARD BUDGET VOTE CUTS FAIRBANKS ELEMENTARY BAND & ORCHESTRA PROGRAMS
Thank you to those that have spoken up on behalf of the music programs in Fairbanks schools. Your advocacy helped gain the 6th-12th grade band and orchestra programs the resources they need to become stable, and that is great for our secondary school students. Unfortunately, on 3/23/22, the school board voted 4-3 to approve a recommended budget that cuts the elementary instrumental programs entirely (general music classes will remain). If nothing changes, starting with the 2022-23 school year, Fairbanks students will not be able to participate in band or orchestra until they reach the 6th grade in middle school.
Take the next step in advocating for elementary band and orchestra:
The state’s and the Fairbanks Borough’s under-investment in its schools has pushed them to the breaking point. As a consequence, classrooms are packed, and priceless programs—such as elementary band and orchestra—are being lost. PLEASE ask the Borough Assembly and the state to correct this wrong, and fully fund Fairbanks schools to the maximum allowable amount! Here's how:
TESTIFY! Just like with the school board, borough assembly members need to hear why these programs matter! You can even re-use testimony you already shared with the school board, as it will be new and valuable information for the assembly to hear as well! To testify in-person, go to the Mona Lisa Drexler Assembly Chambers at 907 Terminal St. If you would rather speak remotely, you can do so telephonically. Here are some of the meetings in which members of the public can speak on behalf of music in our schools:
--April 14th, 6pm
--April 28th, 6pm
--May 05th, 6pm
Click HERE for the borough assembly meeting calendar.
Instructions for signing up for testimony, as well as for listening to meetings can be found HERE.
Listening: Click HERE to live stream audio of Assembly meetings. KUAC also broadcasts all regular Assembly meetings on 89.9 FM beginning at 7 p.m.
CONTACT BOROUGH ASSEMBLY MEMBERS! Either as a collective, by filling out this FORM, and/or by reaching out to members individually. Speak to them on the phone, meet for coffee, or write them to tell them why our elementary students MUST be allowed to keep their band & orchestra programs. HERE is their contact information.
STATE LEVEL ADVOCACY:
SUPPORT BILLS HB272 & 273! These two bills, currently in the state House, address the state's years-long flat-funding of schools. The flat-funding of education, while inflation and other expenses increase continuously, is significantly responsible for the severe financial straits of Alaska's schools. REACH OUT TO STATE LEGISLATORS and ask them to invest in our children’s educations by SUPPORTING HB272 & HB273. Find your legislators by clicking here, scrolling down to the bottom of the page, and typing your address into the "Who Represents Me" box: www.akleg.gov.
ATTEND THE APRIL 16th CONSTITUENT MEETING for HB272 & 273
Information about these bills will be shared on Saturday 4/16/22 from 4-6pm in West Valley High School’s DeWild Theater. Get your HB272 & 273 questions answered and find out how you can best advocate for their passage.
A quick summary: If they pass, HB272 would provide a one-time chunk of money to begin to "catch-up" schools after years of under-investment. HB273 would "inflation-proof" the base student allocation, and would prevent this flat-funding issue from recurring. This means more money would dependably flow into the district every year. And stable funding sources help protect vulnerable music programs! This Juneau news article goes into more detail about what each of these bills would do for Alaska's schools: “Juneau lawmaker’s bills would increase per-student funding”
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Please SHARE, SHARE, SHARE this important information on all your social media outlets! CLICK HERE to follow us on Facebook, and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to CONTACT US.
THANK YOU for your support of Fairbanks music education! The more voices that communicate to the school board, the borough assembly, and our state legislators, the more unified the message will be that Fairbanks youth deserve to have access to the many benefits of instrumental instruction.