Please consider signing our petition to  preserve, protect, and promote music as an essential core to student learning and growth in Winston Salem/ Forsyth County Schools, we the Reagan High School Boosters Board implore the Board of Education to intervene so that recent well-intentioned decisions made by building level administrators regarding music programs, music teaching positions, and budget support may be reversed before music programs are severely limited or even eliminated in the coming year. We the undersigned are petitioning the Board of Education to immediately take the following actions to protect our music programs and positions:

Priority Actions:

Ensure that every traditional/magnet middle school and high school has at least a half-time band position, chorus position, and orchestra position. Full-time positions awarded based on student enrollment over 90 students and assistant music positions allocated based on enrollment when the music teacher has a student load over 180 students. Music positions may not be used for non-music instruction.

Reestablish the WSFCS Arts Coordinator position as a full-time, stand-alone job. Hiring, placement, and transfer decisions for all music positions must be done at the county level.

Supportive Actions:

Add supplemental music classes to registration options for students including general music, popular (rock) band, and mariachi. This will support improving teacher/student ratios for smaller music programs.

Restore instrument repair ($1500), instructional materials ($1500), and new instrument acquisition ($2000) funding per middle and high school per year.

Consider allowing music classes to double block for 6th and 7th-grades.

Reinstate funding for all-county band, chorus, and orchestra events.

Set Bus mileage rates for music trips at the same rate as athletics.

Prioritize music funding in current and future budget requests to the county commissioners, at a minimum, to include all of the items listed above.