Dear Board of Ed,

How could you? We really should be used to it by now, but we're not. We still believe the best in you. And you let us down every time.

Our school is redoing the parking lots which means we can't use the football practice field. Yet, the football was out there three days ago? Okay, maybe the workers were gone. I'll give you that one. But how about when you decided to cut a lot of funding for extracurriculars? How about when you cut our transportation funding? Did you feel bad? Were you in the room when our band director told us yet again that we didn't get to do what we wanted because our district yet again doesn't care? Did you watch us through this year as you cut corners and angles and sides off of our arts and music departments and laughed at our fundraising efforts? Did you applaud the visiting football team on their aim as they spit at us my freshman year?

Let's talk about my freshman year. How about the time you "forgot" to send more than one bus to the football game across town and we had to fight 45 band kids and 11 adults onto one school bus while other parents waited until other people could bring cars to get the leftover equipment? How about the time earlier that same day where you used our buses to send the football team's parents to the games? Did you feel bad then? Did you realize that you were reaffirming the message the older kids were telling us: "The district doesn't care about us"?

I am so sick of this. I am sick of getting sun poisoning on my nose because the only place we can practice is the parking lot. I am so sick of getting dressed up and excited to go somewhere only to have it get cancelled because you decided not to send bussing. I realize that marching band and the arts and music aren't the only things that exist in this district. I realize that our tiny town isn't that rich. I understand that not everyone in the district or in administration feels the way I think they do. But I want them to show me. Prove to me that I am right to feel proud to win for my band. Prove to me that I should be proud to say where I'm from instead of telling horror stories about our band room and the instruments. Prove to me that I'm not wrong to stay in this district. Prove to me that I won't always have to write articles like this. I hate the fact that I get so angry about this issue. I wish things were different. I wish I didn't spend my time trying to figure out how to fund our band.

I pray to God that you figure this out, Board of Education. Please, please, please help our band. Please help us pay for our new drum major podium so my best friend doesn't fall off. Please help us get better.

Sincerely,

Veronica, The Very Opinationed Band Kid