Members of the Harlan Independent School Board discussed several options concerning a funding request from the district’s band boosters Tuesday during a special called meeting.

Laurie Hollins, a member of the district’s band boosters, addressed the board with a request of $1,500 to help with expenses when the band travels to Louisville this weekend to compete in the state band semifinals.

While the board agreed the band had accomplished a great deal by making it to the semifinals, they were somewhat split on making a decision as to how they could help the band with the needed expenses.

Board members Dr. Matt Nunez and Cindy Allison both agreed that the trip was something that the band had earned and should be granted the amount requested. However, Superintendent David Johnson and board chairman Joe Meadors said they felt that it would not be fair to grant the request to the band boosters and not be able to make the same allowances for other school groups.

Johnson, who also has a daughter in the band, said he supports the band but did not feel the board could grant the request due to them not being able to grant the same request to the school’s other groups such as athletics, the Boys Choir and the Harlan Musettes.

“We don’t want you to feel like you are not appreciated or that we do not appreciate what the students are doing,” said Johnson, noting that there may be other ways in which the board could help the band boosters besides granting them the specified amount requested.

Johnson suggested that the band boosters should consider using money from their funds for the trip expenses and then return to the board later with a request for instrument purchases.

Hollins stated that the band boosters’ funds consisted of at least $7,000. However, she noted that amount included ear-marked funds in the amount of $4,000 for the purchase of instruments given by an undisclosed donor.

She also noted that the $7,000 was the total of the funds before deducting other expenses which had not yet been paid out.

Meadors said he agreed with Johnson, noting that the band has access to fundraising that most of the other groups do not have through their concession sales.

Meadors added that he did not want to see groups within the school fighting amongst themselves because each may feel that the other was granted a special request that they could not get.

“I have a daughter in the Musettes, and if we go somewhere we either have to find the money or help fund raise the money,” said Meadors.

Both Johnson and Meadors said the band had brought honor to the school and that the board would support them, with board vice-chairman Parker Boggs stating that the band boosters should go ahead and use the funds they have and then return to the board with a request for new instruments.

The board noted that it had been several years since the band had purchased new instruments and that it was time for that to be considered.

Hollins, along with the other attending band booster parents, agreed with the board’s suggestion.

In other action the board approved:

n a tax payment agreement for property purchase;

n final approval of purchase of property;

n contract for demolition of structure;

n location of light poles at the preschool construction site;

n use of contingency funds to purchase furniture and equipment for the preschool project;

n a request for ticket price of playoff football game.