Oppose SB 610 (Senate Bill) letter

Copy of Email I sent to Florida Senators

Hello,
I have been notified that SB 610 will be heard in the Senate K-12 Education Committee on Wednesday, March 19 at 9:00 a.m. I understand that this is the bill which mandates 225 minutes of PE each week for middle school students (grades 6-8).
I am a band student parent that is highly concerned about the future of the school Music Program being impacted if this goes through. Even though my son will be a senior in Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High School next year, I support this kind of education in our schools and I want it to continue.

While I totally support schools offering Physical Education, I do not want the Music program to be jeopardized. I am concerned that "SB 610" will obliterate the ability to maintain a music program in our schools by not making it available due to scheduling restrictions to students. Especially at the age (middle school years) when students normally make the commitment to a musical program.

Also, many students from the K-12 school music programs eventually feed into the music programs offered in Universities and beyond. Here is a quote directly from website at Florida State University
"Florida State University's arts programs—dance, film, music and theatre—rank among the finest in the world."

What will happen to this and other similar music programs if students are not able to learn music when they are young?

I agree with the following points:

Talking Points
• Mandating PE without providing an additional period will eliminate fine arts classes and other electives for any school on a six-period day. This will lead to the elimination of high school programs which depend on middle schools to begin building skills and technique for student success at the high school level.
• This effort has significant fiscal impact even though certified PE teachers are not required by the bill. That uncertified teachers may be responsible for instruction dramatically reduces the effectiveness of the effort and many more instructors are still required to implement such a class for every middle school student. If the course is not to be taught with integrity and standards, then it is, indeed, an empty gesture.
• If additional mandates are to be placed on the school day, additional time and funding must be provided for implementation (ie. add another period in the day, fund the teachers) so that other areas of the curriculum are not reduced or eliminated.
• We are not opposed to more physical education in the school day, however, we do oppose this bill which does not provide for adequate implementation. Our position is that physical education and other electives should not be mutually exclusive.
Will you help support our music program being able to continue?
We would appreciate any support that you can give to our concerns.
Please let me know if you receive this email. Thank you in advance for whatever you can do.

Claudia Davis
http://ClaudiaDavis.net
PS: Please listen to this exciting musical clip (2 minutes) performed by Cocoa Beach High School. I hope you are as thrilled as I am when I listen to this. I do not want to see this program go away!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Gg64Pl_5ehM