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Tigard‑Tualatin public speakers urge board to reverse proposed cuts to theater and music programs
Summary
Students, teachers and parents told the Tigard‑Tualatin School Board that proposed layoffs and part‑time transfers would dismantle award‑winning theater and growing choir programs, citing enrollment figures and the time required to produce shows.
Dozens of students, teachers and parents urged the Tigard‑Tualatin School Board on multiple occasions during a public meeting to preserve full‑time theater and vocal music positions amid proposed RIFs and transfers.
Speakers said the district’s proposed staffing changes — which they described as eliminating or reducing a full‑time theater director to a 0.4–0.45 FTE role and reducing choir staffing at Tigard High — would sharply reduce opportunities for students. "Without four years of our wonderful arts program at Tualatin, I wouldn't even know who I am," said Grace Simpson, a senior at Tualatin High School.
Those testifying described statewide recognition and recent awards, high student demand, and the intensive work required to mount productions. "It takes over 200 hours, and in some cases, 500, to produce a play or musical," said Jennifer Hunter Tindle, a theater and English teacher at Tualatin High School. Several students and staff cited a district proposal they said amounts to a "60% reduction" in Tualatin’s theater program and warned that cutting the full‑time…
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