Edit 3/19/2025: I am blown away by the support. Thank you and keep sharing!! 

Please do NOT donate when prompted. This money does not go to myself or the music department. It will promote this petition to others in the area. Which is great, but sharing the link yourself to friends and family is by far the most effective way to spread the word!! If you are looking to contribute to the future of musicians, consider donating to the Friends of Music scholarship foundation!

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Recent changes proposed by the superintendent of Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools, Ian Neviaser, are going to negatively impact the music department, as well as its associated extracurricular activities.

Superintendent Neviaser is making a push to "consolidate" music department staff in a way that does not have the best interest of either students or faculty.

THE PLAN INVOLVES:

-dismissing the newly hired elementary general music teacher.

-tasking Laura Ventres, the current LOLMS choral instructor, to take over general elementary music for Mile Creek and Center Schools, against her wishes and despite the fact that she is specialized in secondary choral.

-tasking Kristine Pekar with teaching all choral ensembles at both LOLHS and LOLMS, also against her wishes to remain at LOLHS.

 

🤔WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR STUDENTS, REALISTICALLY?

❗️The high school musical will no longer be under KP’s direction.

❗️The middle school musical may cease to exist. 

❗️If the school continues to offer the musicals, their creative directors would have to be hired on a contractual basis. 

❗️Select Singers will cease to exist in its current form. This is a hard blow to students looking to be challenged by advanced ensembles and repertoire, whether they are preparing for a career in music or are simply advanced students. This also means the outside engagements that Select Singers performs would no longer be represented by LOLHS. 

❗️High school ensembles would be reduced from three to two, electing to combine the underclass Soprano/Alto and Tenor/Bass choirs into an underclassman concert choir. This is not ideal for developing voices. 

❗️Concerts would either be greatly reduced, combined, or possibly cease to exist for some ensembles. Same with festivals. This means fewer opportunities for performance which is one of the main standards of music education (Creating, Performing, and Responding). Concerts that do run are going to be combined and much lengthier.

❗️Middle school choral small lesson groups (one of the only opportunities for music literacy assessment, as LOLMS does not offer general music) will be DOUBLED in size, and we know larger class sizes impact students.

❗️Any non-ensemble course offerings such as Music Theory, Musical Performance, General Music, etc will either cease to exist or be greatly diminished. Mr. Wilson is being pushed to teach ALL half-credit music electives. This is not realistic.

❗️ Opportunities for extra help, practice room use, independent study, or college audition prep will be severely limited or diminished.

❗️The LOLHS chapter of the International Thespian Society would no longer have a sponsor, and the annual performance revue/showcase would cease to exist.

 

Superintendent Neviaser is trying to defend this action by saying these are not BUDGET cuts, but simply redistribution of resources 💸. 

📝To quote his response to a parent earlier this month: “We are consolidating our music staff to account for a smaller number of students at LOLHS. This will in no way affect any programming for students."

📝“Currently we have too many music teachers for the number of students we have resulting in teachers with limited teaching duties.” 

🤨His proposal reduces the music staff of LOLHS from 2 to an estimated 1.4. Ensembles would be reduced and students at both the middle school and high school level would be losing dedicated staff. This is the definition of affecting programming for students!

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Please tell Superintendent Neviaser: music education in LOL Public Schools needs to move FORWARD, not backward!

The next Board of Education meeting is Wednesday, April 2nd. While there was a showing of concerned parents and students at the last school board meeting, I am optimistic that we can increase the turnout for April. 

LOLHS alumni or current students: if the music department in its current form has left a positive impact on your life, please leave a comment and let us know.

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Sarah Goldin (née Golden)

LOLHS class of 2014