Asheville City Schools to Restore Strings Program
The district plans to bring back middle school orchestra instruction beginning in January 2027.
Updated on Oct. 27, 2026 in Administration
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Asheville City Schools will restore its middle school strings program in January 2027 following a district-wide review. The reversal comes after officials identified funding through a recent retirement in the central office.
Why it matters
The restoration provides students with continued access to musical education that was previously cut due to district-wide staffing adjustments. By reallocating funds from an administrative vacancy, the district is able to maintain the program while adhering to enrollment-based staffing requirements.
The district is currently seeking a part-time instructor for the restored program. This move constitutes a formal exception to the standard staffing allotment formula that originally necessitated the program's elimination.
The players
Maggie Fehrman
Maggie Fehrman serves as the Superintendent of Asheville City Schools.
Blair Johnston
Blair Johnston is a principal within the Asheville City Schools district.
Asheville City Schools Foundation
The Asheville City Schools Foundation is an organization dedicated to supporting local students and educators.
Franklin Keel
Franklin Keel is an orchestra teacher who was reassigned to Asheville High School.
The details
Superintendent Maggie Fehrman and Principal Blair Johnston finalized the decision to bring back the program following collaborative discussions with the Asheville City Schools Foundation and parent representatives. The district previously reassigned strings teacher Franklin Keel to Asheville High School after the program was cut in August 2026.
Timeline
August 2026: The district announced the original elimination of the strings program.
December 2026: The electives selection process begins for rising sixth graders.
January 2027: The middle school strings program officially resumes.
Culture Shift
The decision to reverse the cut reflects a broader trend of communities prioritizing arts education as a core component of middle school curriculum. It highlights the push-pull dynamic between strict fiscal staffing allotment formulas and the local demand for extracurricular programming.
Middle school students will have the option to enroll in strings electives starting in the new year. Parents of rising sixth graders should monitor the upcoming December selection process to ensure their students are registered for the returning program.
The takeaway
This development underscores the impact that local community advocacy and administrative flexibility can have on school programming. Residents should stay informed about district budget updates to understand how central office vacancies may influence future extracurricular offerings.
What happens next
The electives selection process for rising sixth graders is scheduled to begin in December 2026.
Further reading
For more information on local school governance, visit the Asheville Administration section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Asheville Citizen Times.
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