Parents, students and teachers urge board to preserve early-grade music instruction

North Bend, Ore. — Dozens of parents, students and teachers urged the North Bend School District 13 Board of Directors on June 5 to preserve music instruction at the elementary level and reconsider budget choices that commenters said would diminish the district’s longstanding music program.

Public participation occupied a large portion of the meeting. Speakers included current and former students, parents, classroom teachers and music staff. Many cited the district’s recent competitive success: several speakers noted the high school band had won a state title this year and others referenced multiple state championships over recent years.

“Music has changed my life for the better,” said Taylor Thompson, introduced at the meeting as a North Bend High School senior and student representative. Multiple speakers described the district’s music program as a key reason families move into or remain in North Bend and urged the board not to “cut K through 2” music instruction, language several commenters used when describing proposed staffing changes.

A joint written statement from music instructors Amber Yester, Janet Lee and Sarah Massey and from Eva Varga, president of the North Bend Education Association, was submitted and summarized during the meeting. The statement said the district and association “recognize the vital role music plays in the development, well-being, and academic success of our students” and that staff had developed a revised plan “that preserves our core music offerings, particularly in grades 4–12.” The full written statement was not read aloud in its entirety.

Speakers included current and former music students and parents who testified to the program’s role in academic pathways, mental health and community identity. Joanna Gosling described three daughters who benefited from North Bend music classes, including dual-credit music courses that her eldest used toward a college degree. Bristol Underwood, a high school science teacher who addressed the board, described the district’s alternative education program and spoke in support of maintaining programs that keep students engaged.

Several commenters urged the board to revisit administrative salaries or other non-classroom expenditures rather than reducing classroom staff. One speaker, Melissa Pekton, asked the board not to ratify the proposed budget at that meeting and to “go back to the drawing board.” Many speakers asked the board to preserve the K–2 foundation that they said underpins later success in middle and high school ensembles.

The board thanked speakers for attending and listening was noted repeatedly by the chair and superintendent. The meeting did not include a formal board vote specifically on music staffing; the budget adoption later in the agenda established the district’s overall legal spending authority for the fiscal year.