Can the city afford a secondary music school?
Głos has written many times about the indisputable achievements of the Państwowa Szkoła Muzyczna I stopnia in Bolesławiec (as have other press titles), and this fact needs no proof. For many years, the institution has been part of the city’s landscape and daily life, established international contacts, and is in a sense an ambassador for the town on the Bóbr in the world of broadly understood culture, serving its promotion well. Most valuable, however, are the experiences and development of many musically gifted students; after all, throughout the civilized world, talented young people constitute the most valuable capital. Bolesławiec has no shortage of them: they have performed on stage many times, experienced great successes, and provided thousands of viewers and listeners with unforgettable emotions and aesthetic experiences. Art speaks a universal language, difficult to define in words and reaching into the sphere of our deepest feelings. Until we as people transform into automatons and robots, there will always be room within us for receiving and deeply experiencing contact with art—music, visual arts and poetry.
I am working to establish a municipal secondary music school in Bolesławiec based on the existing institution. This is not a personal whim, but a genuine social need determined by the demand for further artistic education for hundreds of musically gifted children and young people. Traveling with difficulty to a similar school in Legnica is one thing; making effective and creative use of time locally is another. Despite some resistance, the construction of the new school building is visibly nearing completion. Objective conditions for inaugurating the municipal school’s activities have therefore arisen. Here is a specific calculation of the initiative’s implementation costs.
1) Administrative and accounting services are provided by PSM I stopnia, and therefore without additional costs or positions. The estimated annual cost of maintaining the newly built facility (energy and fuel) will amount to PLN 20,000, of which the Samorządowa Szkoła Muzyczna is able to cover 20% independently, or PLN 4,000.
2) As of October 1, 1995, the monthly cost of one teaching position is approximately PLN 989. When the new school opens, it will be necessary to have one full-time position (18 hours per week) for instrumental teachers (9 students receiving two lessons per week) and a half-time position (9 hours) for a teacher of theoretical subjects according to the secondary-school curriculum. Specifically: first grade—2 hours of ear training, 1 hour of music theory, 3 hours of accompaniment (for 9 students), and 3 hours of an additional instrument (for 9 students). The total cost of teachers for 1.5 positions is PLN 1,500 per month. Assuming that the school opens on September 1, 1996, personnel costs (four months of teachers’ work) will be PLN 6,000 and facility maintenance will be PLN 1,400, for a total of just PLN 7,400.
3) From January 1, 1997, annual costs would increase to PLN 28,000, including the existence of first- and second-grade classes and thus additional teaching positions. In the following year, third grade would be added, which would consequently raise the target cost of maintaining the full music school in 1998 to PLN 46,000.
4) I have a detailed financial calculation showing unequivocally that the total cost of maintaining the school after six years of education (the full cycle, meaning both the first and second levels) will amount to approximately PLN 92,000 at today’s prices. I am asking a question that is by no means rhetorical: can our city not afford such an expense? It is worth finding a substantive answer, while disregarding emotionally driven arguments unfavorable to an educational institution that aspires to promote culture through the development of the youngest residents’ individual talents. Contrary to appearances, this is an exceptionally important and current social issue, one we cannot evade if we wish to be enlightened citizens of a united Europe. We have a chance—let us take it together, because it is truly worth doing.