Parents and trustees press for clearer plan to preserve Hastings music program amid staffing changes

Parents, alumni and trustees spent substantial time on April 16 pressing the Hastings-on-Hudson Board of Education and administration for clearer detail about music staffing, lesson access and the district's path to maintain a robust program.

Stan Medina, president of the alumni association, told the board the music department was essential to his education and community life: "The music department was great," he said, recalling teachers who mentored students. Several parents and community members followed with detailed questions and calculations drawn from the district's posted FAQs and spreadsheets, arguing that losing a position would overload remaining faculty and reduce student access to lessons.

One commenter (speaker 11) summarized a spreadsheet analysis, saying that, if staffing were cut by one teacher, it would leave some teachers with loads over contractual expectations: "we'll end up with John Carini having a 1.53 load next year and Eric Day having a 1.63 load," the commenter said, and urged the district to consider hiring to protect student instruction.

Trustees asked pointed operational questions: what Schedule B stipends cover and how large they are (administration referenced many stipends in the ~$3,400$4,000 range for ensemble and extracurricular roles), whether lessons are part of a teacher's contracted load, and how the district would restore general music for seventh and eighth grades. Administration pointed trustees to the collective bargaining agreement, noting that high-school academic teachers have a maximum of five periods and that schedule B stipends and some release time are documented in the contract (the schedule-B list was cited as beginning on page 39 of the CBA).

Superintendent Bill and administrators pledged program continuity for next year while launching a careful review of staffing, scheduling and programming in the coming school year. Bill said the district would "monitor and review" enrollment projections over the summer and, if necessary, make adjustments rather than immediately expanding staffing without program clarity. Administrators also discussed potential near-term options such as hiring 0.2 or 0.4 FTE positions or reallocating existing schedule-B stipends to create sustainable staffing.

What’s next: administrators will continue to post FAQs and details, monitor incoming enrollment through June and August, and begin a formal curriculum review of fine and performing arts next school year to determine whether additional staffing or schedule changes are warranted.

Quotes
"The music department was great," said Stan Medina, president of the Alumni Association, during public comment.
"If we keep everything as it is and we get rid of 1 teacher, we'll end up with John Carini having a 1.53 load next year and Eric Day having a 1.63 load," a parent commenter said when presenting calculation details.

Context
Trustees and administration repeatedly emphasized that Schedule B stipends exist for extracurricular ensembles and that the collective bargaining agreement defines instructional load and release-time entitlements; the board asked the administration to present clearer, building-level dollar estimates and workload spreadsheets in the public record.