Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Arts Music topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Students and parents urge board to restore full‑time band director at Skyline High School
Summary
Multiple students and parents told the Governing Board they need a full‑time band director at Skyline after the position was cut to part‑time. Speakers described competition successes, long hours, and the program’s role in student development.
Dozens of students and parents urged the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board to restore a full‑time band director position at Skyline High School during the meeting’s public comment period.
Students described band as a demanding, year‑round commitment that requires daily access to a director. "My school band is not a part time position," said one student during public comment. Several students and parents recounted recent competitive results to make the case for a full‑time director: band members said they placed fourth in state, swept NAU competitions, and had students selected for the Macy’s All‑American Band.
Parents and band students said the current director’s move to a part‑time allotment would reduce rehearsal access, limit preparation for competitions and parades, and make the program harder to sustain. Multiple speakers, including current and former band parents, said the director’s availability outside school hours and ability to coordinate feeder schools and competitions were essential to the program’s success.
Speakers urged the district and the Superintendent to work with Skyline leadership to restore full‑time staffing. Several parents said cutting performing-arts staffing harms student opportunities and suggested the district should balance scheduling and staffing decisions to avoid shrinking extracurricular programs.
Why it matters: students and parents framed the band as a curricular and co‑curricular program that contributes to student leadership, teamwork and academic persistence. Board members did not make a formal staffing vote during public comment; parents asked the board and Superintendent to pursue a solution before fall scheduling.
Ending: Speakers asked the board to treat band staffing as essential—and asked the district to restore a full‑time position to preserve competition readiness, student mentorship and feeder‑school connections.
