Midland Park April 3, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 7 The Midland Park Board of Education last week adopted a tentative budget for the 2013-14 school year and a proposal for a one-year expenditure to fix the roofs at all three of its school buildings. Both questions will need to be voted upon at the annual school election on Tuesday, April 16. Midland Park is one of a few districts in the state that retained the April school election. As permitted by state law, other districts have opted to drop the public vote on the budget and move the school board member election to Board adopts budget, roof replacement question November to coincide with the general election. The total operating budget of $20,290,010 is up $409,593, or 2.06 percent over the current year’s budget. Within this amount, however, the capital outlay portion has been reduced by $569,859, shifting expenditures from capital to current expenses. “We did not drop any programs. We did, however, reduce all the discretionary budget items 15 percent throughout,” explained trustee Robert Schiffer, the board’s finance com- “Break of Reality,” a cello rock band that formed at the Eastman School of Music in 2003, will be presenting workshops at Highland School in Midland Park on April 4. Midland Park High School Band Director David Marks told Villadom TIMES that the band’s appearance is part of the ongoing collaboration between the band and the school district. Marks explained that the marching band will be performing Break of Reality’s music during 2013. The band’s appearance was coordinated by the Midland Park High School Band program with support from the MP Elementary PTA and the MP Performing Arts Parents. Marks said the band would be performing a concert at Midland Park High School the night of April 4. For details, e-mail banddirector@mphsarts.org. Founding member of Break of Reality, Patrick Laird, is a 2003 graduate of Midland Park High School and the MPHS Music Program. This band is filling concert venues around the country with fans eager to hear their original music along with interpretations of music by Tool, Metallica, and System of a Down. Their sound is cinematic, subdued, and heavy all at once, and their live audiences are equally diverse. Fans of Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, ‘Break of Reality’ to host workshops and Yo-Yo Ma are finally getting acquainted. Break of Reality has given hundreds of performances across the country at performing arts centers, colleges, rock clubs, and music festivals such as South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Along with performing, the group’s original music has been featured in national television programs, including Dateline NBC and America’s Investigative Reports on PBS, which went on to win an Emmy. Through their affiliation with Pandora Radio, Break of Reality’s music has been streamed by millions of listeners around the U.S. The band’s three albums, “The Sound Between” (2006), “Spectrum of the Sky” (2009), and “Covers” (2012), have sold over 40,000 copies worldwide. The band is committed to music education, having performed at hundreds of public schools across the country, encouraging music students to explore all types of genres on their instruments. The band is also committed to music entrepreneurship, and has developed the Break of Reality DIY Lecture Series, which was designed to empower budding classical musicians with practical, real world music business knowledge. Visit www.breakofreality.org. mittee chairman. The budget includes several enhancements, however. District wide, the board plans to add a full-time technology coordinator, science textbooks K-12 and increased funding for professional development. The equivalent of a half-time position is added to cover additional AP psychology electives and English Language Learning instruction. The board also plans to add AP art and music theory and personal finance classes at the high school, as well as two building ides for security. The board is also proposing a $995,075 one-time expenditure to complete roof replacement at Godwin and Highland schools and another 19,000 sq. ft. of new roofs for the high school. Of the 100,000 sq. ft. of total roof surface at (continued on page 19)