Reed Principal Seeks To Edit Critical Comment From Meeting Video

By Eliza Hallabeck

A comment made by Board of Education member John Vouros during the school board’s budget hearing on Thursday, January 19, eventually prompted Reed Intermediate School Principal Sharon Epple to send Mr Vouros a letter asking for his comment to be stricken from the record and the school board’s public video from that meeting.

Mr Vouros shared the letter with the school board during its budget hearing on Thursday, January 31. (The text of the letter is available online at NewtownBee.com.)

“The sessions we have here are taped. Are they allowed to be edited in anyway?” Mr Vouros asked his fellow school board members before reading the letter Dr Epple sent to him.

Board of Education Chair Debbie Leidlein replied that the videos cannot be edited.

“I have a concern then, that I need to get out,” said Mr Vouros, “and it is about the editing of the tapes.”

Mr Vouros then explained his comments from the January 19 meeting regarding Reed’s Chinese music rotation course. At that meeting, Mr Vouros questioned having the Chinese music course at Reed, because it is not offered at any other school in the district. Calling the course a gap filler, Mr Vouros also said it is a “complete and total waste of time, as far as I am concerned.”

The comment struck a nerve with Dr Epple, who said in her letter students taking the course can hear and read those comments in the video and in articles.

After reading the letter, Mr Vouros said he has asked Dr Epple to put together a consortium of people to talk about the Chinese Music class “around the table, so that we are all hearing the same thing.”

Ms Leidlein asked Dr Robinson to inform Dr Epple that the January 19 video will not be edited.

Following the meeting, Dr Epple said her school had both a physical education teacher and a music technology position removed from the budget two years ago, and those positions have not been restored.

“We have, therefore, had to create or fill rotation classes with current staff,” said Dr Epple. “A lot of thought, planning, alignment and excitement went into developing our 18-class, sixth grade Chinese music rotation. This is taught by our district’s Director of Music Michelle Hiscavich, who collaborated with several colleagues and used the Board of Education-approved global music curriculum as the foundation.”

The lessons taught in the program, Dr Epple said, connect to the sixth grade social studies curriculum on China and with the sixth grade special art rotation, which includes Chinese art. She also said the program complements the NICE initiative in Newtown.

After receiving Dr Epple’s letter, Mr Vouros said this week, that the Freedom of Information Commission was contacted to question how the letter could be made public properly, as it is a public document. He learned the letter needed to be read at the board meeting and that public videos could not be edited.

Now, following the meeting, Mr Vouros and school board Vice Chair Laura Roche said they expect the meeting on the music program to be held in the near future.

“It’s never been about the Chinese music program,” said Ms Roche this week. “It is about the vision for the school.”

Mr Vouros said he hopes the eventual meeting will highlight the educational value of the whole schedule at Reed, and, he said, he wants everyone attending the meeting to be updated on every aspect of the schedule.

Mr Vouros said he was originally set to have a meeting with Dr Epple and Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson before he received the letter from Dr Epple. He said when he asked if Ms Roche could attend, that meeting was called off and Dr Epple sent him the letter.

“We just want to be able to talk,” said Ms Roche.

Ms Roche said that she is hopeful that speaking with one another at the meeting will bring change. “Much needed change,” Mr Vouros added.