Students and parents urge Yakima School Board to preserve middle-school music programs amid proposed cuts

At the Yakima School Board meeting on April 21, dozens of students, parents and community members delivered urgent public comments urging the board to preserve middle‑school music staff and programs after district staffing changes signaled that at least one music position could be eliminated.

Students and parents from Lewis and Clark, Franklin and other middle schools described the programs as essential to mental health, school engagement and future opportunities. ‘‘Music gives students a place to belong and I ask you to please continue supporting these programs,’’ said Samuel Garduno, a Lewis and Clark student, during the public comment period. Several speakers said more than 100 students signed up for beginning band at Lewis and Clark for next year, and that cutting a second beginning period would force one teacher to handle an untenable roster.

Parents and students raised specific program impacts they say would follow a staffing cut: elimination of intermediate orchestra, loss of dedicated percussion instruction, and removal of jazz‑band options that feed high‑school ensembles. ‘‘If you were to take away Mr. Beam and his percussion class, I know for a fact future percussionists wouldn’t have the same skill set,’’ said one student, and multiple commenters warned that stuffing 80–140 students into a single beginning band would prevent individual instruction and create safety and instructional challenges.

Speakers also tied music instruction to academic and emotional supports. A parent said band teachers are often the adults who notice student struggles and provide stability; another recalled a child who received a music scholarship tied to years of middle‑ and high‑school ensemble work. Several parents called for the district to prioritize retaining teachers rather than expanding central administration positions.

Board business earlier in the meeting included routine approvals — the consent agenda and an annual resolution delegating authority to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association — both of which passed unanimously. Speakers at the meeting did not report a board vote on music staffing during the public comment period; the comments were recorded as part of the public‑comment portion of the agenda and the board did not announce an immediate staffing decision.

The meeting’s presenters and staff reiterated that budget and staffing decisions are being shaped by enrollment declines and revenue pressures. Finance staff have projected enrollment declines and described the district’s options for allocating limited funds. Several commenters asked trustees to use the bond and other resources to relieve budget pressure on instructional programs rather than eliminate positions.

The board did not make a final public action on music staffing at the meeting. Board members heard the comments and closed the public‑comment segment; trustees indicated the budget and staffing work will continue in committee and through administrative processes. The district’s next steps for staffing and program assignment were not finalized at that session; parents and students requested follow‑up opportunities and urged the board to preserve two middle‑school music positions at Lewis and Clark and to restore intermediate orchestra where it had been removed.

The public comment period at the Yakima School Board meeting is scheduled to continue on future agendas; the board will consider budget, staffing and program choices as it develops next year’s budget and as the district proceeds with bond‑related planning and other budget decisions.