Trustee sets up match-fund for fifthgrade band program

Lakeside/Somers School Board trustee Sam Bagley set up a match-fund for the fifth-grade band program earlier this month called the Somers Music and Arts Fund. Bagley has pledged to match up to $5,000 in donations from his personal bank account to ensure the program continues as the district faces budget cuts.

“By offering fifth-grade band we’re showing that we are committed to the whole education of the student, and I think that’s really important,” Bagley said. “We got a couple of rough years ahead of us and I want to ensure the continuity of the program.”

Earlier this month, fifth-grade band was listed among the possible programs to be cut in order to balance the district’s budget. Bagley said the Lakeside/Somers district is one of the few districts to offer fifth-grade band and that doing so places Lakeside’s student musicians a full year ahead when they enter middle school band. Last year there were 42 students in fifth-grade band.

It costs roughly $6,700 to keep the fifth grade band program going because it creates additional work for the district’s sixth- through eighth-grade band director. Bagley’s goal is to raise enough to keep the program going if the district can’t provide any funding for the program.

Bagley said once the fifth-grade band program is securely funded, the funds could also be used for other school art programs. If the district is able to partially fund the band program, then the funds would roll over to the following year. Bagley said the goal is to keep the fund going indefinitely.

The board is currently working on balancing the budget for the upcoming school year. It remains to be determined if the district will be able to help fund the program.

“I know the PTA and others are involved in that, but we want to be part of the safety net,” Bagley said.

Although the fund has only been open for one week, $600 has been donated already and Bagley has matched that with an additional $600, bringing the total to $1,200. School board members Courtney Shaeffer and Diane Fetterhoff will also be keeping track of the fund to ensure transparency.

“There’s been a lot of negativism around the district, and it’s my goal and the board’s goal to try to get this thing turned around and really think about the board as a positive thing,” Bagley said. “We have to be creative now in this environment.”

The Somers Music and Art Fund is set up at Flathead Bank in Lakeside and all donations are tax deductable.