"Dan is one of those bottom line people -- he doesn't support the Arts in school!"

Nice one-liner, but couldn't be further from the truth.  I am a strong supporter of the arts and personally benefitted from my own participation while a student in Newton as do my own children today.  I played violin for eight years after starting in the fourth grade instrumental program.  My daughter is planning to begin Cello this year.  I was a participant in the drama program in both Middle School and High School.  In fact, I believe I spent every waking moment not in class or doing homework in the auditorium doing stage crew.  In my sophomore year we went to the finals of the State Drama Festival.  My son is involved similarly at Day Middle School today and plans to continue at NNHS next year.

The problem is that our lack of ficsal responsibility is exactly what has caused the painful cuts in arts programming we have already experienced.  In point of fact, we cannot have a solid and comprehensive arts program unless and until we get our fiscal house in order.  Until that happens the arts will continue to erode.  My priorities will enable us to reverse the negative trend we have been on.

I also want to include a letter I wrote to the School Committee in February, 2008.  Long before I began to consider running for School Commitee.

-----------------------------------


from Dan Proskauer <dprosk@gmail.com> to schoolcommittee@newton.k12.ma.us
date Wed, Feb 6, 2008 at 5:33 PM
subject Feedback on potential cuts related to allocation budget

School Committee Members -

I understand that preliminary discussions about potential program cuts to meet the allocation budget have commenced and that the Committee is soliciting parent feedback.

I would like to weigh in on one specific area which is the elementary school instrumental music programs.  I attended Newton Public Schools as a child and vividly remember my participation in the 3rd grade recorder and 4th grade violin programs at the Hyde ("Save Our Hyde!") School.  In fact, launched from that first year of 4th grade in-school instruction I studied violin for several more years.  Although I did not continue violin into adulthood, it was a very important part of my childhood and one that I almost certainly would not have experienced were it not for the start I got at school.

I live in Newton again and now have my own three children in the Newton Public Schools.  When my eldest child began studying violin in 4th grade it started a chain reaction in my home.  Not only did it inspire me to dust off my own instrument and take it up again practicing both with my son and on my own, but his younger sister insisted that we rent her a violin as well and she began to teach herself and try to practice with us.  She remained interested enough that she is now taking lessons and playing with the Franklin School 5th grade strings as one of two second-graders who are participating in this vibrant group.

I won't even describe the way our youngest child runs to grab her recorder every time we have a "family concert"...

I know that it would be a terrible loss if younger children or those not yet in Newton were deprived of this richness of experience.  However, I also recognize the realities of the budget situation and know that nothing is for free and that nobody would cut anything if it weren't necessary to cut something.   With that in mind, I can tell you that I would rather have slightly larger class sizes (even in elementary school) and preserve the instrumental program as-is.  I would rather have less specialized instruction in math and preserve the instrumental program as-is.  I would rather have less technology in the classroom and preserve the instrumental program as-is.  These are just three examples of areas that I'm sure will be competing for scarce funds where I would value the instrumental program more highly.    I'm sure that there would be those who would argue on the other side of each of the alternatives that I propose.  This kind of issue is never easy and there is never a clear right or wrong.  However, given what I observe to be very broad participation in the existing instrumental program today, I think the impact of any significant change to it (be it fees or shifting to after school or elimination of the orchestra/band groups) would be severe and widely felt.   Thank you for soliciting and considering this input.  I do not envy you the difficult task that is set before you...  

Dan Proskauer (NSHS class of 1986, Meadowbrook class of 1984, Hyde class of 1982) (Father of Max (12), Lydia (8) and Daisy (4))