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Bettendorf students, teachers showcase work for Arts & Education Week and urge district to restore middle-school art teacher
Summary
Students and arts staff displayed student work at the administration center and urged the district to reinstate a second middle-school art teacher after a recent departure left one teacher covering multiple grades.
Students and staff from the Bettendorf Community School District displayed student artwork in the administration center on Sept. 11 and used the board meeting to mark National Arts in Education Week while urging the district to restore a middle‑school art teacher position.
The presentation opened with students describing their work and why arts classes matter. Megan Purcell, an art teacher who said she teaches at Cooper and Mark Twain elementaries, told the board many middle‑school students are currently being turned away "not because of lack of interest, but because only one teacher remains, where once there had been two." She urged the district to “prioritize hiring a second art teacher” so students have equitable access to art instruction.
Why it matters: Teachers and students said arts classes support social and emotional learning, academic skills and school engagement. Purcell called arts instruction essential, saying it builds students’ confidence and helps some students “process trauma” and find calm during the school day.
At the meeting, several students described specific benefits from participating in district arts programs. An eighth‑grader, Lila Briggs of Bettendorf Middle School, said art class gave her “a calm place to escape to” after a difficult start to middle school and helped her feel proud of her work. Michael Witt, a sixth grader, described a seasonal truck drawing and said he enjoys drawing and coloring a variety of subjects.
The district’s arts team noted student work from every school was collected for the display; the exhibit and an annual calendar are intended to increase students’ visibility in the community. The board and audience thanked the students and families for sharing their work.
The teaching staff and booster representatives at the meeting also outlined funding realities: the Fine Arts Boosters’ president, Stacy Klingler, said many co‑curricular and extracurricular arts activities rely on ticket sales, concessions, fees and fundraising rather than general operating dollars. She encouraged continued community financial and volunteer support to sustain programs.
Board context and next steps: The superintendent acknowledged the gallery and listed additional arts activities already underway districtwide. District leaders did not announce an immediate hiring decision at the meeting; Purcell and students requested that board and administration prioritize filling the vacant middle‑school art teacher role so that all students can enroll.
Ending: The display will remain at the administration center through the district’s arts celebration week. The board did not take formal action on staffing at the meeting but heard a direct appeal from teachers and students to restore the previous two‑teacher model at the middle school.
