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Appears there will be some excitement at the upcoming Queen City School Board meeting on Tuesday, April 17, at 7:00 pm.

 

I hear there's a full page ad in the newspaper urging supporters of Queen City Band Director Chris Brannon to call board members and school administration and to show up at the board meeting.

 

Taxpayers in action!

Should be interesting.

 

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Appears there will be some excitement at the upcoming Queen City School Board meeting on Tuesday, April 17, at 7:00 pm.

 

I hear there's a full page ad in the newspaper urging supporters of Queen City Band Director Chris Brannon to call board members and school administration and to show up at the board meeting.

 

Taxpayers in action!

Should be interesting.

 

 

I'm confused. Didn't he resign? And from everything I've read and heard is that the superintendent and school board aren't as at fault and to blame as the propaganda would suggest. At a time when other teachers in QCISD were losing their jobs rumor has it that the band director not only said he wasn't going to have his budget cut but that he was wanting a budget increase and that it was unacceptable to have a position cut. What choice did they have? and who exactly is in charge over there?!?!

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Brannan is gone.... don't know what they really can accomplish at the board meeting. He had a chance to negotiate with the admin and chose to resign when he didn't get his way. He wanted no cuts to band. So apparently it is ok with the band folks that teachers, coaches, and other staff get cut as long as band stays untouched. His supporters are just pissin in the wind.

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He probably didn't think they would except his resigination. but they would meet his demands, plus give him a raise.

 

Don't you think any other school district is going to look at this before they hire him.

but I am sure he want have any trouble finding a job. Because his bands pick up quite a few (1s).

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His bluff backfired. With schools having tighter budgets I don't see many 2A districts that would be willing to pay him what QC was paying. He better move on up to 3A or higher and some of those may not want to pay that either. If I were a superintendent or board member at the school where he might be under consideration for a job I would scrutinize his hiring closely based on what has happened.

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He probably didn't think they would except his resigination. but they would meet his demands, plus give him a raise.

 

Don't you think any other school district is going to look at this before they hire him.

but I am sure he want have any trouble finding a job. Because his bands pick up quite a few (1s).

 

Agree with both comments. This has gotten out of hand around town. They need to let it go and move on.

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I think after all of this has blown up it has opened a lot of eyes to exactly what the band directors and ESPECIALLY the band parents feel is the most important thing...and that is WINNING!

 

They have become so consumed with winning everything and their whole belief in what being in band really is about has become so warped and out of touch with reality.

 

The QC band will still be good, it will still have band directors, they will still have a band program, their kids will still get music scholarships to colleges...but the one thing that probably will not happen anymore is winning. So because they aren't state champs they aren't good anymore???

 

Didn't I read in the paper that the QC band lost to the Atlanta band last fall at some contest anyway?

 

After reading a lot of the comments made if I were a coach or my kids were in athletics over there I would have a hard time looking them in the face.

 

 

 

I agree with you 100%. On your last sentence, I assume you mean the band parents who have been making derogatory comments about our failed sports program (football) and have been basically putting down our football team for the last 3 years??

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I agree that Brannan is gone.

 

Nothing backfired - he didn't threaten or give an ultimatum. He just resigned and apparently has no desire to continue as Queen City band director. With his record he can easily get a job at a much larger school, making more money than Queen City will ever pay him, with a much larger budget as well. Any references from the Queen City board or administration will be immaterial.

 

The public outcry that will most likely be displayed at the upcoming board meeting won't get Brannan back either. However, I'm told that there may verily well be some other scalps called for with regard to how the entire situation was handled.

 

And with 40% of the kids in middle & high school involved in band, that's more than enough parents (who are also voters) to pretty much elect, or not elect, whoever they want for the school board.

 

Yep, it's going to be interesting.

 

 

 

 

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I agree that Brannan is gone.

 

Nothing backfired - he didn't threaten or give an ultimatum. He just resigned and apparently has no desire to continue as Queen City band director. With his record he can easily get a job at a much larger school, making more money than Queen City will ever pay him, with a much larger budget as well. Any references from the Queen City board or administration will be immaterial.

 

The public outcry that will most likely be displayed at the upcoming board meeting won't get Brannan back either. However, I'm told that there may verily well be some other scalps called for with regard to how the entire situation was handled.

 

And with 40% of the kids in middle & high school involved in band, that's more than enough parents (who are also voters) to pretty much elect, or not elect, whoever they want for the school board.

 

Yep, it's going to be interesting.

 

 

 

Sure he can get a job at a bigger school and no doubt he will. Of the 40% of kids in band I would say that 30% to 35% of those students are transfers and their parents can't vote in the upcoming election. The full page ad in the paper is now turning folks against few loud mouthed band crazies. I suspect a large contingent of non-band parents will also be at the meeting supporting the board and superintendent. There are also some band parents that support the administration. I personally have no problem with the way the situation was handled and I am glad he is gone.

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Of the 40% of kids in band I would say that 30% to 35% of those students are transfers and their parents can't vote in the upcoming election.

 

So a significant number of the kids in the Queen City Band are transfers from other schools, huh?

 

In the very unlikely situation that this is true, that would make the band a major source of income for QCISD.

 

Voters get easily turned on for causes. Look at Atlanta - they seem to have difficulty hiring and appointing administrators. Within the last few years they've had several who have been terminated for cause and/or relieved of their duties.

 

And at the last Atlanta school board election - a 21 year veteran board member was NOT reelected. Who would have thought that could happen?

 

Never underestimate what a few determined people can do with a cause.

 

 

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Saw the over the top obnoxious ad in the Atlanta-Citizen's Journal...it wreaks of exaggerated, out of context, facts and overall lacks class. But then again the QC band parents have made themselves some of the most obnoxious, winners without class around.

 

Do they honestly believe that by attacking the superintendent the way they have in public media that they are winning any points?

 

 

 

I concur with your assessment. I had kid in the QC band a few years ago and it was embarrassing at contests and concerts. Not all of the band parents are that way but a good number of the band parents are and don't know how to act.

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Are you basing your information on fact or rumor? I have never heard a band parent bash atheltics, we do feel sorry for our players that work so hard each week and still get beat 70-0. The band is willing to make cuts, we just wanted to opportunity to make them somewhere besides personnel. Have you actually spoken to a band parent of the band director? Maybe you should.

 

 

 

Brannan is gone.... don't know what they really can accomplish at the board meeting. He had a chance to negotiate with the admin and chose to resign when he didn't get his way. He wanted no cuts to band. So apparently it is ok with the band folks that teachers, coaches, and other staff get cut as long as band stays untouched. His supporters are just pissin in the wind.

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Well I hear they had the big school board meeting and it appears the pro band folks were outnumbered. I guess all of the name calling, facebook bashing, and crazy accusations made against the board, superintendent, athletics, and other programs backfired. The band crazies turned out to be their own worst enemy.

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Seriously? No disrespect intended, but have you been anywhere near a computer within the past month and seen the stuff that has been written????

 

And no, the band director was not willing to compromise...at all! That is the whole reason you people are in the situation! n fact, when QCISD was firing other teachers he was wanting a larger budget! Don't try and get on here and "play nice"...enough people have seen your true colors...the epitome and sore winners...

 

 

 

Amen Rabbi!!

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He resigned because the administration was going to downsize the band staff.

 

 

as well as downsizing the entire district as every other district in Texas has done due to the dire situation of the state of Texas budget

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No idea. How many would you suggest? If each campus has a principal and an assistant principal don't think that would be the place to cut. Don't think there is an assistant sup, gotta have an superintendent. Most have a tech and curriculum director, QC's is a combined position I think.

 

 

word on the street is that the assistant principals will all be assigned additional duties such as teaching, etc.

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Brannan is gone.... don't know what they really can accomplish at the board meeting. He had a chance to negotiate with the admin and chose to resign when he didn't get his way. He wanted no cuts to band. So apparently it is ok with the band folks that teachers, coaches, and other staff get cut as long as band stays untouched. His supporters are just pissin in the wind.

 

 

too much drinking of the Koolaid by a few band boosters

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If you have never heard a band parent talk about athletics then you must have been in a hole somewhere. For instance, when the band boosters commandoed the home side concession...the leader of that revolt had plenty of negative things to say about the athletic program. And I have the FACTS!

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If you have never heard a band parent talk about athletics then you must have been in a hole somewhere. For instance, when the band boosters commandoed the home side concession...the leader of that revolt had plenty of negative things to say about the athletic program. And I have the FACTS!

 

 

With an 0-10 record and 5 shutouts in football last year, it wasn't just band supporters who were criticizing athletics.

 

 

 

 

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If you have never heard a band parent talk about athletics then you must have been in a hole somewhere. For instance, when the band boosters commandoed the home side concession...the leader of that revolt had plenty of negative things to say about the athletic program. And I have the FACTS!

 

 

I don't know the negatives that the leader had said but if you talk to the Athletic Booster club board members their words are that they love the visitor side concession stand, I personally have heard them say that they like it because it is much bigger and more room to move around. That is why they haven't tried to get the home side back since the change. They still get alot of traffic over there. I have heard just as much trash talk about the band from the athletic people as i have from the others too, That is from Administration all the way down to the students at the school. If you haven't heard that just walking around the people during a football game then i just guess EVERYONE has their heads in a hole.

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Sure he can get a job at a bigger school and no doubt he will. Of the 40% of kids in band I would say that 30% to 35% of those students are transfers and their parents can't vote in the upcoming election. The full page ad in the paper is now turning folks against few loud mouthed band crazies. I suspect a large contingent of non-band parents will also be at the meeting supporting the board and superintendent. There are also some band parents that support the administration. I personally have no problem with the way the situation was handled and I am glad he is gone.

 

I was at the Board meeting just to sit in and listen, it was very interesting i will say. 1st. i think your transfer figures are wrong, I could be wrong but i doubt that there are that many. The Band Crazies as you refer to them as i feel has a point, it is sad that there was so much attention at this meeting to the band supporting what they feel is inportant to them and NOT A SOLE was there complainting or fighting for the coaches and teachers that lost their jobs. If i was a coach or teacher at this school i would really feel bad that not one person stood up for me being its about budget cuts or not. I would have to say out of the approx. 300 people at the meeting i would guess 200 were there for the support of the bands leader. I noticed how the board had sat their table so that each board member faced each other rather than face the addience and the people who signed up to speak to the board was stationed towards the addience instead of the board members. I heard 2 people speak on behalf of the Band and the other 4 were against the band, wow i would rather say BASHED the supporters of the band. I have seen figures of the administrations payroll budget with it being in the mid $400,000. range, Athletics being in the mid $500,000 range and the band being in the lower $200,000 range which includes 1 music teacher at their primary school. Other facts that i have seen on paper are that the 3 band directors have approx. 250 students among them to where the athletic side has approx. 9 or 10 coaches with approx. 200 students amongst them, some of those coaches teach also. The Asst. Athletic Director makes approx. $74000. and is only certified to teach PE. The Head Band Director makes approx. $70,000. I have heard that all the coaches get a clothing allowance as well, not sure if this for sure or not. There is a cd of a meeting with the Superintent Mr. Barnwell, 1 Board member and several other attendents asking question and its very interesting to listen too. you can hear some lady mentioned that The Band leader was awarded The Educator of the Year by the Atlanta City, Not 1 person from the QC School Board showed up for the award presentation, the 1 Board member stated he didn't know about it, she said she gave the inventation to Barnwell, they go back and forth with not appologie what so ever and he all of sudden ended the meeting. It is sad that this group of supporters and leader of their Great most decerative activity of the QCISD school history is treated this way. I would have to end this by saying that if i was in his shoes then i would have to leave as well just because of the way that this school is being run by their superintendent and the school board, it appears that Mr. Barnwell gets what he wants and when he wants it and a school board who can't say NO or show me more facts. I think the community of QUEEN CITY being Band or Athletics and school teachers should demand that their leaders and educators be saved and to ask questions on the money spent or budgeted, get facts on paper and not just their words... you would be amazed at what some administrators and other postions make money wise because i was!!!!

my book is done now

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