Broward schools have a proposal that will likely strike a chord for many students and teachers: the purchase of $2.5 million in musical instruments.
The proposal is part of the district’s $303 million capital budget, which will be discussed at a workshop Tuesday. It would mark the first time since 2007 the district has made a major investment in musical equipment.
“We’re really trying to demonstrate the district’s commitment to the arts,” spokeswoman Tracy Clark said. “The idea is to bring schools up to at least a minimum level.”
This year’s capital budget is slightly larger than in recent years due to rising property values and the state’s decision to allocate revenues collected from utility bills for the first time in three years. That will boost the district’s funds by about $4.5 million, officials said.
Overall, the district has $48 million more than mandatory expenses this year. Other proposals for that money include $25 million for technology upgrades, $10.3 million to replace old buses, $5.8 million to replace old maintenance trucks, $966,000 for improvements to athletic facilities and $735,000 for surveillance cameras.
While most schools have great needs for musical equipment, Clark said she didn’t know many would benefit this year.
“It’s going to get eaten up pretty quick, especially with the larger instruments that most students don’t buy themselves” predicted Michael Friedman, band director at Sawgrass Springs Middle in Coral Springs. “I know I’m going to be getting one tuba, but it costs $6,000, and I need 10.”
Friedman said much of his equipment is more than 20 years old. And he said music teachers have also struggled to find good repair work in the area, leading to further declines in the instruments.
Some schools have used booster clubs to buy equipment, but that has led to inequities.
This is the second major effort Superintendent Robert Runcie’s administration has made to restore arts, which suffered deep cuts during the recession. In 2012, he added back hundreds of arts, music and physical education teachers whose jobs were eliminated the year before.
In addition to the music equipment, this year’s budget also recommends $200,000 to replace staging, lighting and sound systems in some schools, as well as $40,000 to replace kilns in art classrooms that are beyond repair.
But district officials say they still need voters to approve an $800 million bond referendum in November because funds for new expenses next year are expected to drop to $27.5 million, with further declines after that.
The reason: the district is exhausting a reserve generated by canceling $1.8 billion worth of construction projects. While the district has money allocated for minor repairs, there’s no money to replace roofs or air conditioning systems, officials said. The costs for those projects far exceed the money the district is spending on musical instruments, officials say.
The district is also only able to fund a small portion of its nearly $275 million technology plan.
“There’s a huge need out there,” Budget Director Omar Shim said. “It’s very important that we get funding for our facilities and technology. Even that won’t address all of our needs, but it can be a first phase that will give us a chance to make accomplishments.”
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