On March 28 and March 30, 2011, a meeting was held by the Site-Based Decision Making council of Franklin County High School in Frankfort, KY. When this meeting had concluded, the Flyer Band faculty position was reduced to a part-time slot. Over 300 people total were in attendance at this meeting, including FCHS faculty, faculty from nearby schools, students, parents, alumni, parents of alumni, students from other schools, and prominent members of the community. All of these people attended the meeting to show support and solidarity for the Flyer arts programs. Ultimately, the wishes made clear by the community were ignored.

In addition to the loss in the music department, a position in the science department was also cut to part-time. This selection was made from a list of many possible cuts to the school, which included several positions which were arguably more expendable. This list included band, science, STEP, the JROTC program, P.E., choir, and one of the two assistant Principal positions.

The Franklin County Flyer Band and Choir programs boast over fifty years of tradition and participation, and numerous state and national competition titles. Each year, we EXPECT to send several of our students to participate in the KMEA All-State conference. This year, an FCHS senior became the first Flyer musician since 1989 to be selected for participation in the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band. Ours is a school where people will come to football games to only watch the halftime show. This decision by the SBDM council, headed by Principal Sharon Collett, was made against the wishes of the community, and only hurts the people of Frankfort and Kentucky.

Without a functional arts program at this school, many of its students will lose their chances at scholarships, college educations, and careers either in or outside of the music industry. Without the arts program, the school severely limits the tools given to its students to succeed. The school will likewise curtail its own financial income, as many students currently enrolled are specifically there to be members of the music department.

The students and alumni seek to influence the Franklin County School Board and Superintendent to reverse this decision and restore our proud program to its full capacity. However, this is not the only issue we are faced with.

The Frankfort community's wishes regarding the education of its children has been known and unchanged for decades. The fact that Principal Collett has ignored these wishes proves that she is unwilling or unable to effectively carry out the tasks with with she is entrusted.

This petition, and those who sign it, call for the immediate resignation of Principal Collett from the Franklin County School system. We ask that she be replaced by an administrator who will fight for the highest caliber of education for the students that he/she is entrusted with.

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