PAWTUCKET — Until last month, there was an all-city elementary school band and a full-time teacher, Sheila Duckworth, to lead it.

But then, a music teacher at Fallon Memorial Elementary School retired, and Duckworth was assigned to replace him.

The move effectively eliminated the all-city elementary school band, which last year had 239 fourth and fifth graders playing instruments that included the saxophone, clarinet, drums, trumpet, tuba, trombone and flute.

Last night, parents appealed to the School Committee to reinstate the band program, marshalling support during the public input part of the School Committee meeting.

David Beauchesne, director of education for the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and Music School, said, “The research really does state that children who participate in music do better academically.”

Bob Palo, who retired three years ago as a music teacher at Jenks Junior High School, said, “The arts are important to student growth, not only academically, but physically and humanely.”

Duckworth recalled how, when she was a child, and her parents were too poor to buy her an instrument, she picked one she could borrow from school.

“This is a wonderful program. It is good for the children,” she said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for those children and I just want them to have the opportunity I had when I was growing up.”

But School Supt. Hans W. Dellith, who made the decision to reassign Duckworth, advised against restoring her to the position of band teacher.

“This is serious,” Dellith said, citing cutbacks in state aid to education. “We’re really caught between a rock and a hard place. Our kids are getting cheated every single day.”

“[For] those students that want band, there are band programs after school,” Dellith said. “There really is no room [in the school schedule] for a pullout for band. Unfortunately, the school day is only so long. There’s only so much that we can fit in.”

Reinstating the band program had the support of Donald R. Grebien, a City Council member who attended last night’s meeting, and School Committee member James T. Chellel Jr.

The program was eliminated three weeks into the school year, Chellel said. “So we already had this budgeted.”

“Too many parents have gotten in touch and told me that their child was looking forward to their second or third year learning an instrument,” he declared.

When the motion to restore the program was brought to a vote, however, it failed, 3 to 3, with Chellel, David A. Coughlin and John S. Baxter, the School Committee chairman, voting for reinstatement, and Amy L. Zolt, Nicole A. Nordquist and Joanne M. Bonollo voted against.

Zolt, Nordquist and Bonollo were all persuaded that, while the program was worthwhile, it would be imprudent to reinstate it when the School Department is facing a multimillion deficit.

“I would absolutely love to say, ‘yeah, bring it back,’ ” Zolt said. “I also do not want to be sued because our budget isn’t balanced.”

jcastell@projo.com