So the HS principal, who is most likely resigning for a completely separate issue (currently on "voluntary" leave), had apparently decided that band and varsity boys athletics should be the same period. He also apparently told the upper admin that he had discussed it with both me and the new AD, and that we were both fine with it and would "work something out" for the guys we share. First I heard about this at all was when the asst. sup came by yesterday to ask me about it. His response to my response was basically "multiple expletives/that what we were afraid of". This is not the first time the principal's been less than totally honest about things.
The Sup, AD, and I will be meeting next week to hopefully fix the situation. One problem is this is most likely a beneficial move for boys athletics, but potentially devastating for the band in some sections.
The band program has a quarter century of concurrent sweepstakes.
The question is - are there ANY 4A division 2 schools that have BOTH a successful boys athletics and Band program when there is this kind of schedule conflict?
If anybody out there is dealing with this already, how does that effect your numbers and quality?
Side note - I'm eligible for retirement, but had hoped to stick it out 4 to 6 more years. If they don't fix this and I do retire, I would assume the applicant pool will shrink significantly once they ask about the schedule.
I know that you already know that having those activities at the same time is a lose/lose.
More often than not, the band is going to lose those battles if a kid feels that they have to choose.
A lot will come down to your schedule. Block? 7/8 period day?
If the HS principal is on their way out, they should not be dictating the schedule moving forward. Work with the upper admin and AD to find a solution.
At our school, band is 1st period (and always will be, it is a "protected" period to avoid band conflicts). We use the stadium each morning for rehearsal. Athletics takes place at the end of the day and they use the field/facilities after school. This is not an unusual situation. Rather, in my experience, it has been the norm.
This is a great opportunity for you and the AD to work together to find a solution for all the kids in the best manner possible and find reasonable concessions on both sides.
Block schedule? Or how many periods do ya'll have in the school day?
Without that info, my best advice is to get with the AD before that meeting and see if ya'll can come up with a solution to propose ahead of time. It's early enough they should be able to make changes from someone's screw up.
