I wouldn't bring it up at in front of the board. Leave that particular discussion to start with a parent/voter. What works best is pack the boardroom with your parents and students. Then do a presentation including where some of the district's alumni are (college, working professionally, etc.). Do not discount alumni who are outside of the field too. My program has produced more doctors and lawyers than working thespians. After they see and hear these things, later in the meeting during a open forum have a parent or a few parents casually bring up how it would be cool if their kid was exposed to theatre in middle school like they were exposed to music and art before high school. School boards listen to voters especially if 2020 is a re-election year for a few members.
After the board presentation, work with your administrator to get the conversation started with your chief academic and head of HR about both the part-time staff member and the middle school program. Offer them as separate ideas though, try your hardest not to lump them together otherwise they may seem to costly from an economic standpoint depending on your district's financial situation. Keep the pressure on your administrator, academic people, and HR, they get bogged down by other things especially as the school year winds up.
Lastly, don't discouraged if its a no this year. Just start the conversation earlier next year. Best of luck.
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Nicholas Osenberg
Design and Technical Theatre
Warren Consolidated School
Royal Oak MI
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-08-2020 21:23
From: Nicole Green
Subject: TIOS School Board Presentation Advice
We are on the agenda at our local school board meeting tomorrow night for TIOS Month. We have presented TIOS for the past several years and usually just share some facts and talk about what our troupe has done. This year I would like to also use this as an opportunity to advocate for a middle school program. Our district currently has zero theatre classes or programs until they come to me at the high school. I am looking for advice on how to present this in a way that doesn't make me come off as unappreciative for the support I do have from the district at the high school level. We are the only fine art that doesn't start until HS. Due to the increase in numbers for our program I feel we really need an additional faculty member at the HS at least part time and I'd love for them to offer classes at our middle school to feed into our program too. Advice? Is this not the appropriate time to talk about it? Or is it right to bring it up during the TIOS presentation?
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Nicole Green
McAlester OK
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