Public comments at school board meetings are not the place where joyful noises are usually heard.
Usually, this is best left to those who are good at playing instruments.
But at the Horry County Board of Education meeting on Monday, August 25, the two merged together at an encouraging moment to commend their joint efforts to improve the experience of local students.
Last school year, Martha Gasque, a band and music teacher at Bay High School, contacted the HCS board of directors for the increase in the middle school band budget, which she noted has not increased since teaching in 2005.
In a heartfelt request, Gasque explained the situation to the board of directors, hoping to make a difference.
“Instrument costs, all of these fees are rising when we do any type of travel, event registration,” she explained. “And we have a lot of different costs. They keep going, but we don’t have the money to match the increase.
“So it has become a situation where I was going to make sure to buy at least one new instrument every year. Now, it has become something I make sure I can get. I tried to repair as much as possible, but we couldn't fix everything, so we had to make the best guess about what we're spending on our money.”
The green light was requested after Gasque and other band directors around Horry County asked for funding from HCS principal Clifford Jones and the board.
The board approved an additional $5,000 for each middle school band program’s budget this year, an important driving force behind the various elements that help each school run these programs.
Band students from Bay Middle School practice together.
On Monday night, Gasque was one of the band directors asking for another opportunity to stand in front of the board – this time, thanking them in person.
“I think it's common to hear complaints and demand changes from meetings I'm attending,” the long-time teacher explained. “But considering we're getting something that helps our situation, I think it's important to thank us for that…”