To The Editor:

Too many negative changes are occurring in the Pleasant Valley School District to be ignored.

We have witnessed the outsourcing of transportation, of substitute teachers, of cyber academy, of document printing and of food service with the dismissal of the PV food service director this month.

We have witnessed graduation requirements drop from 28.5 credits to 24 eliminating Driver Education Class, Project Lead the Way and Principles of Biomedical Science.

Now Pleasant Valley High School no longer has a full-time band director. Private music lessons have been reduced by 50%, even though the band program educates more than 500 students in grades 4-12. By forcing the band director to teach classes as Gifted Education and write GIEPs last year, the band program has seen the level of performance suffering.

Students still attend competitions annually, perform in concerts and at football games and other events, but they receive less education and less opportunities for success compared to their counterparts in the other three Monroe County districts that foster full time band directors and promote arts in education wholeheartedly.

Instead of hiring more music teachers as the student interest grows, the district cuts this fine arts program more and more each year.

Lack of vision for educational excellence only hurts our students.

SpreadMusicNow, an organization supporting nonprofit or school-based music programs, compiled research showing an increase in student academic performance at multiple educational levels. A 10-year study of more than 25,000 students found that “regardless of socioeconomic background, music-making students received higher marks on standardized tests than those not involved in music.” Moreover, the U.S. House of Representatives reported students participating in band/orchestra have the lowest levels of “current and lifelong use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs among any group in society.”

What happened to the visionaries at PV?

Donna Yozwiak

Saylorsburg