National Philharmonic to Close - Thanks to MoCo County Council!

[Anonymous]

$150K cannot employ all those musicians and staff. Sounds like a bully tactic to get money out of the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/news/national-philharmonic-to-close/?utm_source=Bethesda+Magazine+Master+List&utm_campaign=5c0dcbfd7b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_7.16&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1bbe9df5d9-5c0dcbfd7b-103050727&mc_cid=5c0dcbfd7b&mc_eid=c0beee24d7

The County Council failed to approve $150,000 in funds. 130 musicians and staff are losing their jobs.

$150K doesn’t seem like a ton of money. Why could they not come up with that?

Surely some Potomac or CCMD DCUMers can write that check today?

Evidently they prefer for the county to do it with tax dollars.

Or in MoCo, NOT do it.

I agree that this is something that should be taken care of with tax dollars. Every single kid in the County benefits from this in 2nd and 5th grade. Plus, it's great to have this locally, especially with all the young musicians in the area. Why is the County so willing to let it go?

Take your kids to a concert and not rely on the schools to do it. A one hour field trip isn't going to make musicians out of our kids.

[Anonymous]

This is something a private donor could take care of.
Who is going to step up?

[Anonymous]

It's beginning to look a lot like somebody somewhere does not like music..

MCPS Cutting Music Programs

https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2019/05/parents...cize-montgomery-co-music-cuts/

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/802078.page#14970305

[Anonymous]

If the link does not work this is the article from
https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2019/05/parents-students-criticize-montgomery-co-music-cuts/

[b]Parents, students criticize plans to cut music in Montgomery Co. schools[/b][b]

Planned cuts to music programs in Maryland’s largest public school system are drawing strong, continued criticism from parents and students.
The Montgomery County Board of Education heard the latest concerns during a meeting Monday.
“We are slowly being stripped of our arts programming, and it needs to stop,” said Michele Moller, an advocate who focuses on issues related to Northwood High School. “Why are we limiting our high school students’ access to these programs?”
Moller, an official with the Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations, said a Northwood band teacher is scheduled to go from full-time to part-time next year.

“Let’s start to examine ways to build our music programs so cuts like this are unnecessary,” she told the board.
Other planned music cuts are scheduled to happen at Rockville High School, as first reported by Bethesda Magazine.
“This isn’t sustainable,” said Deb Stahl, a parent at Rockville High, which is expected to lose one of its choir instructors. “Parents who have been disappointed in the past are now outraged. We’re looking at getting the rug pulled out from under us again.”

Stahl claimed that the cuts were lowering morale among all music teachers and hurting the county’s ability to attract talented teachers in the future.

“We’re getting a negative reputation,” she said. Isabel Valle, a sophomore at Springbrook High School, called music classes a “therapeutic outlet” and said, without them, students could be susceptible to stress, anxiety and depression.

“As a student, I understand how hard it can be find passion in a class or school work,” Valle said. “Many people find said passion in music.”

Students and parents were successful last month in reversing proposed cuts at Springbook High. There was a plan to make one of the school’s music teachers part-time, but that was canceled after the education board heard complaints.

Board member Jeanette Dixon gave her support to those who spoke out.

“I’ve always felt that you really can’t consider yourself a comprehensive high school unless you have a full-time instrumental music and a full-time choral music teacher,” Dixon said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is something a private donor could take care of.
Who is going to step up?

So much bragging on this site about wealth and no one will save this program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh please. Why keep throwing good money after bad? If the National Phil has a crappy business model, that’s not the Council’s fault.

There are lots of things the government subsidizes despite their crappy business models. Public schools, for example. Also, roads. So why not the arts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh please. Why keep throwing good money after bad? If the National Phil has a crappy business model, that’s not the Council’s fault.

There are lots of things the government subsidizes despite their crappy business models. Public schools, for example. Also, roads. So why not the arts?

Roads have a crappy business model?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh please. Why keep throwing good money after bad? If the National Phil has a crappy business model, that’s not the Council’s fault.

There are lots of things the government subsidizes despite their crappy business models. Public schools, for example. Also, roads. So why not the arts?

Because both the Executive and Council give out millions in grants each year. When they tell one particular business to shape up....for years....and they don’t, there’s no need to keep giving money. There are other deserving arts programs out there that are managing their businesses better, and therefore are more appropriate recipients of tax dollars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh please. Why keep throwing good money after bad? If the National Phil has a crappy business model, that’s not the Council’s fault.

There are lots of things the government subsidizes despite their crappy business models. Public schools, for example. Also, roads. So why not the arts?

Roads have a crappy business model?

Yes. Huge money-losers, and that's without considering the externalities (air pollution, water pollution, climate change, etc.).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$150K cannot employ all those musicians and staff. Sounds like a bully tactic to get money out of the county.

No, it was a 'difference' of 150K that was missing from the budget. They couldn't come up with the difference and so they have to close. Though, I doubt the musicians get paid a ton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh please. Why keep throwing good money after bad? If the National Phil has a crappy business model, that’s not the Council’s fault.

There are lots of things the government subsidizes despite their crappy business models. Public schools, for example.[b] Also, roads. So why not the arts?

+ 1 million

The Council supports a miserable school system that is incredibly poorly managed. And continues to throw money at it, even when the stats show that student performance is decreasing. MCPS leadership has shown itself to be inept and incompetent. Maybe the County can work out a deal where they actually now fire that ex-Damascus HS principal (who had kids raped at her school, under her watch) and now has a cushy Central Office job. Wasn't her salary about 150K? Take that money and use it to fund the National Philharmonic so that we can save all these jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the link does not work this is the article from
https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2019/05/parents-students-criticize-montgomery-co-music-cuts/

[b]Parents, students criticize plans to cut music in Montgomery Co. schools[/b][b]

Planned cuts to music programs in Maryland’s largest public school system are drawing strong, continued criticism from parents and students.
The Montgomery County Board of Education heard the latest concerns during a meeting Monday.
“We are slowly being stripped of our arts programming, and it needs to stop,” said Michele Moller, an advocate who focuses on issues related to Northwood High School. “Why are we limiting our high school students’ access to these programs?”
Moller, an official with the Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations, said a Northwood band teacher is scheduled to go from full-time to part-time next year.

“Let’s start to examine ways to build our music programs so cuts like this are unnecessary,” she told the board.
Other planned music cuts are scheduled to happen at Rockville High School, as first reported by Bethesda Magazine.
“This isn’t sustainable,” said Deb Stahl, a parent at Rockville High, which is expected to lose one of its choir instructors. “Parents who have been disappointed in the past are now outraged. We’re looking at getting the rug pulled out from under us again.”

Stahl claimed that the cuts were lowering morale among all music teachers and hurting the county’s ability to attract talented teachers in the future.

“We’re getting a negative reputation,” she said. Isabel Valle, a sophomore at Springbrook High School, called music classes a “therapeutic outlet” and said, without them, students could be susceptible to stress, anxiety and depression.

“As a student, I understand how hard it can be find passion in a class or school work,” Valle said. “Many people find said passion in music.”

Students and parents were successful last month in reversing proposed cuts at Springbook High. There was a plan to make one of the school’s music teachers part-time, but that was canceled after the education board heard complaints.

Board member Jeanette Dixon gave her support to those who spoke out.

“I’ve always felt that you really can’t consider yourself a comprehensive high school unless you have a full-time instrumental music and a full-time choral music teacher,” Dixon said.

We're in the Rockville HS Cluster and were incredibly frustrated by this. Somehow the funding for ESOL increases year after year after year. But, no money for a full-time instrumental music teacher? At a HS? It's pathetic.

There is just so much money to go around, and Music/Arts are definitely not where MCPS wants to spend money right now. It doesn't fit in with their "Equity" model of education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh please. Why keep throwing good money after bad? If the National Phil has a crappy business model, that’s not the Council’s fault.

There are lots of things the government subsidizes despite their crappy business models. Public schools, for example.[b] Also, roads. So why not the arts?

+ 1 million

The Council supports a miserable school system that is incredibly poorly managed. And continues to throw money at it, even when the stats show that student performance is decreasing. MCPS leadership has shown itself to be inept and incompetent. Maybe the County can work out a deal where they actually now fire that ex-Damascus HS principal (who had kids raped at her school, under her watch) and now has a cushy Central Office job. Wasn't her salary about 150K? Take that money and use it to fund the National Philharmonic so that we can save all these jobs.

Right! The County Council should just stop funding the public schools! They should be self-supporting through corporate sponsorships and bake sales! And definitely lose the money-losing, expensive, low-interest programs like special ed and the arts!

Or something.

[Anonymous]

The county can’t keep bailing out unsustainable organizations. This is sad but clearly their business model wasn’t sustainable.