WINNSBORO – Fairfield School District Honors Chorus is $35,000 closer to traveling to Italy.
At a special called meeting last week, the Fairfield Board of Trustees voted 5-1 to appropriate the funds as a down payment for a trip to Italy for the Fairfield District Honors Chorus. Board member Paula Hartman voted against the appropriation.
The trip has an approximately $125,000 price tag, though it was also said the trip would cost about $5,000 per student. Superintendent Dr. J. R. Green said approximately 30 students or students and adults would go on the trip. Students, he said, have raised about $5,000 total so far.
Green said the students who would travel will fundraise to pay for the trip.
But under questioning from Hartman, he wouldn’t specifically state that students must raise their own money. He also couldn’t state exactly how many students and chaperones would attend.
“If they didn’t take part in fundraising, are they going to be excluded?” Hartman asked.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, Ms. Hartman,” Green said. “The expectation is that students will participate in fundraising.”
Green went on to say “students will contribute the vast amount of the cost,” but didn’t provide a specific breakdown of the final costs.
District sponsored trips have become commonplace in recent years, and some have come at taxpayer expense.
In 2016, Fairfield Middle chorus students traveled to the Bahamas. Also in 2016, the district tapped surplus legal funds to subsidize the chorus performing at Walt Disney World.
Chorus students traveled to Carnegie Hall last year as well. Several Early College Academy students traveled to the United Kingdom in 2017. Also that year, the board voted to approve two senior trip options – one a cruise to the Bahamas and the other to Orlando, Florida.
As for the Italy trip, the district voted to transfer $35,000 from the district’s unused salary account for the down payment. The special called meeting to approve the funding was necessary now because of a fast-approaching deadline, district officials said.
Hartman objected. She didn’t think the district could legally transfer money reserved for teacher salaries to fund student trips.
“That is false, the board establishes the budget. It is the board’s prerogative if it wants to make transfers,” Green replied.
A majority of board members supported the expenditure, scoffing at any notions that it is a junket. But none could specifically say how the trip aligns with curriculum standards.
“When I was a student, education was national. Now it’s global and we are competing with everybody, everywhere,” said board member Rev. Carl Jackson. “Our children should be given an education commensurate with that.”
Board member Sylvia Harrison said students are gaining exposure.
“Exposing them to something like that is a win-win for everybody, not just our school [but] for the community too,” Harrison said.
Green pushed back on any notion the trips constitute wasteful spending.
“I think there are some people who feel these kinds of opportunities should exist for some kids but not for ours,” Green said. “Because we are a high poverty community there are some people who say, well, they don’t deserve those kinds of opportunities.”
“When I read some of the comments that are made,” Green said, “there are some who don’t care about the children of this district.”
He did not reference where these comments were made.
The Italy trip is scheduled for July.