JOHNSTOWN - The Greater Johnstown School District Board of Education had hoped to appoint new directors to the district's winter guard and jazz band Thursday night, but board President Robert Curtis says he's now only "cautiously optimistic" the positions will be filled for this school year.
Curtis this morning had no comment when asked whether he thinks the district made a mistake in relieving music teacher Daniel Jones from those positions.
Jones was stripped of those directorships, as well as the Johnstown High School marching band directorship, July 23. District officials have not stated publicly why he was let go.
Jones has since been named an unpaid assistant for the marching band, but the winter guard and jazz band are still without directors.
Curtis expressed hope a couple weeks ago that the board would be able to fill the positions at its meeting Thursday night at Glebe Street Elementary School. But the board made many other personnel appointments without naming the two music directors.
"We advertised for the positions," Curtis said. He said internal personnel in the district's Music Department all turned down the appointments.
The board president said the color guard position is especially tough to fill because so few people are qualified to hold the director's position.
Board members previously approved the co-curricular staff appointment of James Morton as the marching band director for $2,856.
The stripping of Jones caused considerable community backlash. The board did say in July it investigated how a Johnstown High School Wind Ensemble trip Feb. 10 to New York City to play at Carnegie Hall was paid for.
Two more speakers from the public addressed the board Thursday night about the situation.
Robin Kane, president of the Johnstown Music Support Group, said the field band recently performed the "National Anthem" at its own home at Johnstown High School, but nothing else to compete.
She said there were tears in the eyes of students in the band, many of whom were seniors and had been in the program under Jones' directorship for the past seven years.
Kane said JHS has gone from a "top 100 music school" to dwindling representation at the last marching band show. She said the decision to relieve Jones of his duties has in effect ended the district's extracurricular music program for 2009-2010.
Another speaker, Corrina Pelkey, read a statement referring several times to "second chances." She said Jones should be given that because he was that kind of person.
"He gives parents, student and staff second chances," she said.
To abolish the programs or call on other directors only hurts students at JHS, said Pelkey, an assistant drill instructor.
"He truly isn't as replaceable as you think," she said of Jones.
Another recent public speaker to the board, Penny Brink, said the music program needs to move ahead even though the other two directorships haven't been filled yet.
She said the district's Music Department has worked hard to put in student recommendations for tryouts for the JHS Winter Guard, which are supposed to occur in October.
She said if the district waits too long, the competition season will pass by.
Michael Anich covers Johnstown and Fulton County news. He can be reached at johnstown@leaderherald.com.