Fiscal Year 2013 → Question 40

Provide information on staffing for instrumental music over the past five years. How does MCPS staffing for instrumental teachers compare with other local school systems? If the staffing ratio used in 2001 had been maintained, how many positions would there be compared to the current number of positions? Provide five years of data by school on the size of the instrumental music groups.

Question#: 40

ANSWER:

The elementary instrumental music (IM) program is provided in 125 schools with grades 4 and 5, and in two elementary schools with grades 4–6. The FY 2013 budget includes 35.2 positions for elementary IM, an increase of a 0.2 position from FY 2012, to support opening Downcounty Consortium Elementary School #29. The attached chart provides IM program enrollment data by school from FY 2008 through FY 2012.

The chart below compares MCPS with other local school districts’ IM programs in terms of data on how many students were served by an IM teacher during FY 2011. In FY 2011, a full-time MCPS elementary IM teacher served 360 students per week.

School District Students per Teacher per Week for Instrumental Music (IM)
Anne Arundel County, MD 250 students per IM teacher
Calvert County, MD 108 students per IM teacher
Fairfax County, VA 200 students per IM teacher
Howard County, MD 150 students per IM teacher
Montgomery County, MD 360 students per IM teacher
Prince George’s County, MD 175 students per IM teacher
Washington County, MD 125 students per IM teacher

The following table shows the elementary IM staffing allocation for each year for which data are available. The table includes changes in enrollment and staffing allocations.

Fiscal Year Staffing Allocation Elementary Instrumental Music Enrollment Range of Enrollment for a 0.1 Allocation
FY 2008 37.2 FTE 10,082 Less than or equal to 31
FY 2009 37.2 FTE 10,473 Less than or equal to 32
FY 2010 37.2 FTE 10,977 Less than or equal to 34
FY 2011 37.2 FTE 12,133 Less than or equal to 36
FY 2012 35.0 FTE 12,876 Less than or equal to 42
FY 2013 35.2 FTE 13,295* Less than or equal to 46

*Projected enrollment

If the range of enrollment for a 0.1 allocation from FY 2008 had been maintained, a total of 48.8 positions, or an additional 13.6 positions, would be needed FY 2013.