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Students and parents urge board to restore full‑time band director at Skyline High School
Summary
Students, parents and band supporters told the Mesa Public Schools board during public comment that the Skyline High School marching‑band director's position was cut to part time and urged the district to restore a full‑time position to preserve program quality and extracurricular opportunities.
Multiple Skyline High School students, parents and supporters used the meeting’s public comment period to ask the district to restore a full‑time band director, describing marching band as an intensive, year‑round program that requires daily on‑campus leadership.
Michael Kaczmarek, a Skyline student, told the board the teaching role “needs to be a full time” position because competitions, rehearsals and preparation require more time than a part‑time schedule allows: “We only can have half the time with the teacher ... it’s gonna put stress on us as students,” he said.
Fellow student Mila Perret, a Skyline freshman who participates in marching band, honor band, jazz band and advanced choir, said the director’s availability outside class hours matters for preparing for competitions and rehearsals. “My school band is not a part time position. It requires full attention to so many things,” she said, pointing to the group’s recent competitive successes.
Parents and other supporters echoed that argument in public remarks. Erin Parrott, a band parent, said the program’s recent achievements — including state competition placements and student participation in the Macy’s All American Band — reflect sustained teacher effort and require a full‑time director: “Taking away a full time band position is going to end a band program at the high school level,” she said.
Skyline sophomore Corbin Hood told the board that band leadership affects student growth and extracurricular access: “All of our success is dependent on having a band director on campus every day ... Reducing this position to part‑time status is not gonna improve our high school band.” Several public commenters asked the board and superintendent to work with Skyline leadership to restore a full‑time position.
What the board and staff said: the president said the superintendent’s office would forward the comments to the superintendency for followup. Trustees asked staff to respond with additional information; multiple board members and staff later noted they would take the concerns to the district office and discuss scheduling and staffing options.
Context and numbers mentioned in public comment: students and parents cited recent competitive results (band placed fourth in state; students selected for national honors including Macy’s All American Band; recent wins at NAU competitions) and described heavy out‑of‑class commitments such as band camp and multiple ensemble rehearsals. Supporters said the director’s availability for after‑hours rehearsals, feeder‑school recruitment and community events is essential to program continuity and to maintaining extracurricular opportunities for students.
The board did not take formal action during the public‑comment segment; commenters asked staff to follow up with the superintendent and school leadership.
