TWO RIVERS (NBC 26) — Two Rivers considered making their band director part-time until the students took a stand.
- Two Rivers School District considered cutting its band director role in half due to a budget deficit and falling participation
- Band members showed up at the school playing music in a peaceful protest
- The school board decided against making the change
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
After the Two Rivers School District floated the idea of cutting the band director role in half, the students organized a peaceful protest to fight the change.
Bergen Schmid is a senior at Two Rivers.
"Since I was a kid, I've had the little toy musical instruments,” he told me.
He found out about the proposed change a few weeks ago.
"My jaw just dropped and it stayed there for at least a minute or two,” said Bergen. “I was just so confused on this."
According to a post on Facebook …
The district said it had considered reducing the full-time band director role to part-time. After band enrollment fell from 81 students in 2019 to 45 presently and as the district faces a half a million dollar budget deficit.
Bergen says the cut would've left time for just band class and a few lessons leaving him concerned opportunities such as pep band and competition band would no longer continue.
"This would not just be devastating to our director but every student she's ever taught and helped,” said Dominick Springstube.
Springstube is a junior band member at Two Rivers. He says with his director's full-time job potentially on the line, he posted a video in support on Facebook. Plus, other students, like Lance Anderson, helped organize a rally at the school when the board met to make a decision last week.
"We decided we are not going to let it happen,” said Springstube.
Dozens of students showed up, and the band played through the halls in support of their passion and director.
I reached out to the district for a comment but haven't heard back if the students' efforts led them to change their minds. However, the district, in the same Facebook post, said that after their meeting, they decided to keep the role full-time.
"Everyone was so happy. It was definitely worth it,” said Springstube.
"Morale definitely improved a lot that day,” Anderson added.
As a departing senior, Bergen is proud of their impact.
"I know I want to come back to Two Rivers, and it's kind of just about leaving your community, doing your best, and leaving your mark,” he said. “It's always nice to have music in your life."
Lance and Dominick will be back for another year in the band, while Bergen is headed to Madison, where he tells me he's planning on trying out for the Badger marching band.
