187 replies to this topic

[bishmasterb]

I'm not sure why you are implying I am supporting this or even related to this lawsuit.

It's time to come clean john. Clearly she is referring to the musical instrument smuggling ring you were involved in a few years ago. Did you think that you could hide from your past forever? You can't shake down little kids for payola and not expect it to come back to haunt you. Shame on you!

"Put the clarinet down, and come out with your hands up!" ---- Do those words sound familiar john? Well, do they???

[Ahnold]

It's time to come clean john. Clearly she is referring to the musical instrument smuggling ring you were involved in a few years ago. Did you think that you could hide from your past forever? You can't shake down little kids for payola and not expect it to come back to haunt you. Shame on you!

"Put the clarinet down, and come out with your hands up!"  ---- Do those words sound familiar john? Well, do they???

John's involvement in the UN "Oil for Musical Instruments" fiasco is finally coming back to haunt him!

[Chad Vander Veen]

[tessieca]

The dues vary depending on which musical group you're in. The Folsom Music Boosters www.folsommusic.org support all of the orchestra, band, and choir programs at the middle and high schools. Their volunteers are usually the band parents, though. The boosters have nothing to do with the music classes (the free educational part of the program). They support the extra things for the kids that the district could not afford without them, such as participating in competitions.

If you couldn't already tell, Donna Kinsella is simply seeking the deep pockets, or she would be ignoring the district and going after the boosters organization to make her point.

[tgianco]

Here's the scenario I (unfortunately) envision:

Donna sues the FCUSD and wins. She gets lots of pub as what's wrong w/ America/ Cali but also sympathy for the "harassment" she receives from neighbors and on websites like this. She takes the money she stole...I mean...won in court and moves far, far away because of all of us Folsom "meanies."

Plausible?

[ducky]

It's not only plausible, but probable - unfortunately.

John, I agree with the thinking that just because you "can" do something, doesn't always mean you "should." I thought that's what your conscience is for, to help you with those kinds of decisions. Apparently, not everyone's kicks in when it should.

[old soldier]

old yogi berra is a philoshpher when it sait it was deja vu all over again. had a friend in fairfield who told me their band and music program kicked everybody's but...said they even got invited to march in the rose bowl. the community and the parents raised a lot of money and the kids were real prowd about being the best.

then along came a partnt like this one raising the legal issues, getting the school and lawyers all riled up and that was the beginning of the end for that program being the best of the best.

what my friend said was they had bingo and lots of things and when a kid from a poor family couldn't pay the fees, some money from the fund sot shunted over real quiet and nobody missed the opportunity...

if this here thing doesn't get nipped in the bud it could be the end of the folsom music progarm as we know it. went to theri wine and dine and these kids are good.

in my opiion this lady has got ricks in her hear...she probably drives fast and has a boat in front of her house too.

[Chad Vander Veen]

You know, it is really interesting that with Google and Zabasearch you can find out where a person lives, what their phone number is, and even what their house looks like! Just amazing.

[Ahnold]

old yogi berra is a philoshpher when it sait it was deja vu all over again.  had a friend in fairfield who told me their band and music program kicked everybody's but...said they even got invited to march in the rose bowl.  the community and the parents raised a lot of money and the kids were real prowd about being the best.

then along came a partnt like this one raising the legal issues, getting the school and lawyers all riled up and that was the  beginning of the end for that program being the best of the best.

what my friend said was they had bingo and lots of things and when a kid from a poor family couldn't pay the fees, some money from the fund sot shunted over real quiet and nobody missed the opportunity...

if this here thing doesn't get nipped in the bud it could be the end of the folsom music progarm as we know it.  went to theri wine and dine and these kids are good.

in my opiion this lady has got ricks in her hear...she probably drives fast and has a boat in front of her house too.

I was the victim of a very similar situation in high school band. Our marching band won the city tournament and qualified to travel to the state tournament.. until some parent from another school raised a stink about a girl that had transferred to our school at the start of the year and therefore was ineligible to participate. See, this parent found a loophole in the system - the band was subject to the same restrictions on transfers that were meant to apply to athletes, so some kid couldn't transfer to a different football program one year to take advantage of a favorable situation. So a 275-piece marching band along with a 30-member flag corps had to stay home while the second-best band (oddly enough, the one where the parent in question had a kid enrolled) went to state, all over a single clarinet player that violated a rule meant for athletes. Parents like the one in my story, and this Kinsella lady just disgust me.

[Young Curmudgeon]

The lawsuit is misguided at best, but let's not look past the fact the booster group was sending invoices that suggested payment was mandatory. This is wrong, and it would irk me, as well.

I say this as someone who spent 12 years in a public music education program. My high school instructor was the president of the NMEA and was professor to a handful of music educators -- some in this area. I have much respect for music educators and am equally frustrated at the near total abandonment of vital arts programs in public schools. I am a former professional musician who can read and interpret music thanks to money from public coffers. I thank all of you for that.

However, support of a public program should not be mandatory. I purchased my own equipment to participate, but could not have afforded to travel and participate in other competitions with the music groups without the help of other people. I would be very interested if someone else offered to pay for this woman's childrens' way. Maybe someone should have stepped up to pick up the tab to avoid a very actionable position -- instead of sticking to their guns to prove some kind of moral (if not legal) point.

[Chad Vander Veen]

Sorry YC, but if she truly felt it was mandatory, a simple phone call or two could have more than likely cleared that up. Sadly, disgustingly, she did make a phone call, only it was to a lawyer.

I hope she is mocked out of Folsom forever.

[tessieca]

We've been paying the dues, and the question did arise about whether or not it was mandatory. If you simply were to call the boosters, they would explain that it's highly desireable and tell you why. They would provide options if you felt you couldn't make a lump sum payment. It's my understanding that this family has known for a couple of years that the payment is not mandatory, and probably has not paid into it, yet their family still participates. The boosters probably didn't like her confrontational attitude and didn't respond sweetly enough for her. She wants money, pure and simple.

[Robert Giacometti]

Yc,

I'll be the first to acknowledge I do not know any of the details of this situation. It has been my experience here in Folsom that if there is a child who wants to participate in any program, ( music, sports, arts etc) and their family truly does not have the resources to pay for that child to participate in that program, that the communiuty of Folsom will find away to allow this child to participate.

I suspect that the music boosters probably has some sort of support program for children that truly can not afford to pay the fees. These friends and neighbors of ours are not going to put forth the effort they do for this program and then exclude achild because that child's parents can not afford the fees! Good people who volunteer for great programs don't do this!

I suspect there is another issue here!