Adam M. Finkel, Hopewell Township
Ruth Luse — in “Local YMCA is offering violin lessons at schools,” HVN, Nov. 29 — must not be reading her own letters section, as she seems to be the only one who still believes that the school district cut the primary strings program “because of school district budget considerations.” As a series of letters, unchallenged by the board, has made abundantly clear over the past six months, the decision to react to the retirement of a band instructor by moving teachers from strings into band instruction had — of course —nothing to do with money.
What does involve money, however, is the district’s instructions to the YMCA not to let the children use the district’s (a.k.a. the taxpayers’) violins for this after-school, on-premises activity. So in addition to the $190 cost to approximate what students used to have as part of the curriculum, parents will have to find their own instruments, which could add several hundred dollars more. If the board will rethink this insult-upon-injury decision, I’m sure that interested parents would be willing to discuss providing tuition sponsorships so that families in need could continue to support their children’s interest in instrumental music.
This issue isn’t “going away,” despite the complaints of others, for two simple reasons: bad choices keep being made, and the board’s enablers keep spreading misinformation. Ms. Luse’s opinions are well known, but it is not acceptable journalism to provide them as part of a news article, masquerading as facts.
Adam M. Finkel
Hopewell Township
