By Steve Landwehr
Staff writer
February 29, 2008 07:07 am IPSWICH — The drumbeat for an override for the Ipswich schools has reached a fever pitch. The question is how far it will reverberate beyond the school community. About 250 parents, teachers and students attended last night's public hearing on the fiscal 2009 school budget. One by one, they paraded to microphones set up in the aisles to decry eliminating the elementary musical instruction program, teacher layoffs and shuttering the elementary libraries. The cuts are required because the school system faces a nearly $1 million gap between anticipated revenue and expenses. "I can't remember such a turnout in all the years I've been on the School Committee," Chairwoman Joan Arsenault said. Two weeks ago, Superintendent Rick Korb's proposed budget eliminated both fourth- and fifth-grade musical instrument programs at both Doyon and Winthrop elementary schools. He said last night that, through a number of shifts in cuts, "This isn't additional money we found, it's modifications in cuts," the fifth-grade program could be saved but not the fourth grade. Director of School Bands Gerry Dolan said he wished the fourth-grade program could be saved, as well. "Students learn (music) best from the womb to 9 or 10," he said. "Am I pleased with it? No. But it is truly a compromise." Parents who addressed the music program said they were grateful for Korb's efforts but unsatisfied. Ann Brown, president of a parent support group that raises money for fine arts programs in all the town's schools, said eliminating the music program doesn't even make economic sense. If children don't take up music in the elementary grades, they're less likely to take it up in high school, Brown said. Since band and chorus are credit courses, all the students who weren't taking them would have to be provided with other courses, meaning more teachers would have to be hired. There were even more basic reasons to restore the fourth-grade program, Brown said. "You cannot destroy this program that serves us so well," she said. "This is not a cut we can recover from." Also on the chopping block are stipends that pay teachers to oversee after-school activities such as clubs. Parent Sue Markos warned that could have serious consequences. "Without clubs, without intramural sports, where are these kids going to go after school?" Markos said, adding they would be likely to get into trouble. Ipswich residents have never approved a school operating budget override, and parent David Lawrence pointed to the likely reason. "We're preaching to the choir in here," Lawrence said. "Everybody in this room would vote for an override. What about the people who aren't here?" Yvette Shelbourne, a resident of Rowley who chooses to send her kids to Ipswich, said she had signed pledges from 22 school choice parents who are ready to match whatever additional taxes any Ipswich resident pays as a result of an override. Override discussion was on the agenda, but the board didn't get to it by press time. A million dollars is the number being thrown around, and board member Hugh O'Flynn said he liked to call it the "million-dollar override for nothing." The schools are facing structural deficits every year, and O'Flynn said he didn't see that changing. Jeff Loeb, the longest-serving board member, said he is normally pessimistic about overrides but is changing his tune. "I don't ever remember this much interest in any override at this stage of the process," he said.
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