Parkrose leaders confirm choir cut amid $3 million shortfall as students urge restoration

Students, alumni and district leaders discussed the planned elimination of Parkrose High School’s choir program during the district’s working session, with students urging the board and superintendent to restore the class and district leaders describing limited financial options.

The students’ comments came at the board’s in-person public-comment period, where seniors and district alumni said choir provided critical social, emotional and academic benefits. Student speaker Kylie Crawford said the cut “felt as though a rug was pulled out right from under us just as we were getting back on our feet.” Olive De Niro said the program’s return this year produced “astonishing” progress at the middle-school level, and Gabriela Young warned that cutting choir also damages related programs such as theater.

The board and superintendent put the choir decision in the context of a district budget gap. Superintendent Michael Lopes said the district faces a deficit and has taken a series of reductions; he described using one-time savings to cover part of the shortfall and said, “If I could put it back today, I would. If somebody offered me a hundred thousand dollars, I would put it right back to choir.” Lopes told students he is looking for interim options and pledged to continue searching for funding.

Board members and staff explained the financial trade-offs that led to the cut. Lopes and other administrators said the district is approximately $3,000,000 “in the hole,” has already identified roughly $1,500,000 from savings and account draws, and faces continuing state funding uncertainty following a failed local levy. Lopes said continuing core teaching positions at the elementary level was a higher priority in the current round of reductions because declining elementary enrollment drove much of the revenue decline.

Students and speakers provided specific enrollment and participation numbers. One student said the high-school a choir grew from about six members early in the year to 19 and that the district runs an after-school middle-school choir with about 50 participants; students argued that the program’s rapid growth indicated it could be rebuilt with modest investment.

Board members and administrators described several possible remedies they will pursue: monitoring the Oregon revenue forecast for additional state funding, seeking short-term interim staffing (a half-time choir position was discussed as a stopgap) and continuing community outreach to support future levy or fundraising efforts. Superintendent Lopes said the district had used significant onetime savings to avoid deeper elementary staffing reductions and warned that restoring programs without sustainable revenue would risk similar cuts next year.

Students asked for an interim plan and pressed the board to consider alternatives that would preserve choir while protecting classroom teachers and class sizes. Board members acknowledged the emotional impact of the decision and said they would continue outreach to the community and review options before the start of next school year.

The board did not record a formal roll-call vote on restoring the program during the meeting; the transcript records statements by the superintendent and board members that cuts have been made and that they are exploring restoration options, but no motion or final board vote on reversal is listed in the meeting record.