Tigard‑Tualatin public speakers urge board to reverse proposed cuts to theater and music programs

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 director would impede the school’s ability to produce competitive, state‑level shows.

Why it matters: speakers framed the cuts as more than extracurricular losses, saying they affect scholarships, college readiness and student mental health. Multiple students said the choir and theater serve as "safe spaces" and that loss of full‑time instructors would reduce inclusivity and access. Robert Hawthorne, retiring vocal music director at Tigard High School, told the board that the choir program’s rebound to 161 enrolled students this fall requires a full‑time, specialized vocal teacher and warned that making it part‑time would "negatively impact students directly for years."

What the board heard and did not decide: the board received public comment from more than a dozen students, multiple teachers and parents and acknowledged the volume of written comments submitted. Board members repeatedly expressed sympathy and urged advocacy at the state level for increased school funding; there was no formal board vote at the meeting to adopt or change the staffing plan that district administrators announced. The superintendent and HR staff were referenced repeatedly as the administrators managing RIFs and transfers; several board members publicly thanked HR staff for their work handling difficult personnel actions.

Details cited in testimony: students and staff provided specific counts and program descriptions during public comment — speakers said 161 students enrolled in choir classes at Tigard High for 2025–26; that Tualatin theater produces mainstage plays and musicals with student‑run pit orchestras, improv teams, paid technical internships and state contest placements; and that the proposed theater position would be reduced to about 0.4–0.45 FTE with no medical benefits (as described by speakers).

District context and constraints: board members and the superintendent placed the cuts in the context of district budget pressures and declining enrollment. The superintendent reviewed graphs showing reserves drawdown since pandemic federal ESSER funds expired, said the district’s approved ending fund balance for the current year is 8.1% (not 12%), and warned that without reductions reserves would continue to decline. Several board members urged community advocacy to the state legislature for increased K‑12 funding.

Next steps and public requests: multiple speakers asked the board to direct administration to retain or restore full‑time arts positions or to identify alternate savings that would spread reductions more evenly across programs. Parents asked the district to provide transparent cost comparisons for athletics versus arts and to explain fiscal choices behind specific cuts. Students and staff said they would continue advocacy, including petitions, letters and public events, and asked the board to consider the long‑term academic and social impacts of the staffing changes.

Ending: board members thanked the students and staff for attending and speaking; the meeting record includes numerous written comments that will be part of the public record. The staffing decisions described during public comment remain administrative actions; the board did not take a formal vote on those personnel changes at the meeting.