The level of interest in the elementary band program in Prairie South School Division (PSSD) falls off sharply once the program is no longer mandatory, according to a division report.
Band programming did not exist in the majority of legacy school divisions when PSSD was established, according to a report presented during the recent board of education meeting. In Moose Jaw, band programming did exist, with mandatory participation for some students and optional participation for others.
The division has continued with legacy band programming practices since 2006, resulting in an “inequity” between students in Moose Jaw and students in other communities.
During the 2017-18 school year, board trustees accepted a recommendation from administration to reduce the level of subsidy for band instrument rentals, the report continued. This reduction was primarily connected to austerity measures, however, “a positive side effect was the partial mitigation of this inequity.”
In the 2018-19 school year, PSSD expenses related to the band program in Moose Jaw were $94,106. In the 2017-18 year, instrument rental costs were $119,748.
Since its inception in the former Moose Jaw School Division, the philosophy for the program was to create a foundation for the development of band through grades 6 to 12 by making band mandatory in Grade 6, the report said. That philosophy has not changed, however, the level of interest falls away sharply once the programming becomes optional.
During the 2018-19 school year, 320 students in Grade 6 — 100 per cent of them — in Moose Jaw participated in mandatory PSSD-funded band programming. However, 89 students in Grade 7 (29 per cent) and 54 students in Grade 8 (22 per cent) participated in optional band programming.
The board of trustees received and filed the report without discussion.
The next PSSD board meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020.
