Music and arts teachers warn cuts and scheduling barriers are reducing student access to arts education

Music and theater educators testifying May 28 told the Senate Education Committee that cuts to arts staffing, schedule constraints and lost positions are reducing student access to arts education, especially in elementary schools.

"Band is a community of belonging and safety," said Jeffrey Johnson, band director at Poynter and Evergreen Middle Schools. Johnson told senators a parent told him the band "saved her student's life" and recommended that the Oregon Department of Education encourage elementary band programs to be held during the school day rather than after school to avoid transportation-related inequities.

Jason Sabino, a choir director at R. A. Brown Middle School and Century High School, described juggling multiple choirs across two campuses and nearly losing one high-school choir because of staffing changes. "Programs are under constant pressure, and once they're gone, they're gonna be incredibly hard to rebuild," Sabino said.

Witnesses also described the loss of theater programs and district librarians, and recommended targeted investments in staffing, equitable scheduling and facility space to sustain arts offerings. Several senators noted arts classes support broader learning, including math and social-emotional skills.

The committee took no formal action at the hearing but heard repeated testimony that arts programs provide critical social and academic benefits and that scheduling and funding decisions materially affect equitable access.