School district ends Como Elementary music program, stirs tiff with private foundation
Fort Worth public schools officials have decided to end a music education program at a city elementary school and in the process revealed publicly a quarrel between the district and a private philanthropic organization that partially funds and directs the special curriculum.
The program, B Sharp, is among the specialized study areas at Como Elementary School. The Fort Worth Independent School District announced in late October that this school year would be the last for the program’s primary, school-day component that offers instrument instruction.
The B Sharp program is partially funded and managed by Fort Worth commercial real estate executive John Goff’s Goff Family Foundation.
The school district suggested the primary reason it has decided to end the music program of choice is that too few students are interested in it. That figure is in dispute. The district and B Sharp officials agree that about 100 students currently participate.
A letter that Kent Scribner, the district’s superintendent, sent to Goff also refers to requests from several teachers who have sought to be moved from B Sharp classrooms.
“It seemed now was the time to transition to a new approach,” Scribner wrote.
“We have never heard this,” Goff said. “We have not received any communication from the FWISD B Sharp [instructors] to indicate that they are no longer interested in serving” in that role, Goff said.
At the same time it decided to halt the school-day element of B Sharp, the district said it would like to continue its after-school component and symphonic orchestra.
Goff said he was not interested in such an arrangement and will withdraw it entirely.
“While each of our programs can stand alone, the purpose is for them to lean on and feed each other to provide vertical alignment and consistency for our B Sharp students throughout their K-12 educational career,” Goff said.
The B Sharp program’s fade from Como Elementary offerings played out in letters exchanged between Goff and Scribner that were reviewed by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Goff’s letter to Scribner describes data suggesting B Sharp has contributed to broader academic success at Como Elementary School.
While the explanation can be partially attributed to the program, there are other factors that have led to improvements, the district said.
“Como Elementary School was on the state’s Improvement Required list for several years while the B Sharp program was in place at the school,” district spokesman Clint Bond said. “The real motivation that helped Como become a “B” school was the implementation of the Leadership Academy model.”
The unpleasant end of B Sharp at Como Elementary is a demonstration of the difficulty that private groups encounter when negotiating with Fort Worth public schools officials under Scribner’s direction, Goff said.
The system supporting such arrangements is broken and in need of an overhaul, Goff said.
“While the employees have the right intentions, authority is not pushed down and people are not empowered. There is little accountability. For an outside group to partner with this system is very, very difficult,” he said.
In his letter to the superintendent, Goff suggested that the district’s decision was misguided.
“In a time of fierce and growing competition for students, including charter schools that are directly targeting Como because of its longstanding failing reputation, what message is being sent, both to the Como and philanthropic community, now that the school is finally performing at an acceptable level?”
The district said it hoped Goff would reconsider eliminating B Sharp’s after-school program.
“Dr. Scribner considers Mr. Goff a friend and colleague and looks forward to continuing a long-standing relationship,” Bond said.
This story was originally published November 25, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
