Teachers urge separate music classroom at Gattner site; board hears public comment

Two teachers and a parent raised concerns at public comment about planned classroom configurations at the Gattner site, saying music instruction was slated for a stage attached to the cafeteria and that movable partitions would not provide a reliable, dedicated music classroom.

Mary Guida, a music teacher at Vinewood (also sections at Beckman), told the board the proposed layout at Gattner places music on the stage with a movable partition to the cafeteria and expressed worry about noise and scheduling conflicts when assemblies use the stage: "I personally would not want to teach through that again," she said, noting past experiences where the stage was needed on short notice and she had to alter lessons.

Answela Garcia, who spoke following Guida, said she taught kindergarten on a stage during planning days and called teaching music on a stage "unacceptable," urging the district to consider layouts like Millswood where the music room is attached to the stage but still offers a distinct classroom.

Guida said she handed out a list of winter music programs across sites for board members to review and asked the district to examine whether the Gattner plans can be revised to preserve the stage for assemblies while providing music teachers a dedicated instructional space.

What the board did: The comments were lodged during public comment; no formal vote or design decision was taken at this meeting. Staff were asked to review concerns and materials provided by the speaker.

Next steps: Board requested staff follow up on the public comments about the Gattner plan and return with any clarifications or proposed changes.