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Students and parents urge Gresham-Barlow budget committee to spare elementary music
Summary
Dozens of students, parents and teachers told the budget committee that proposed cuts would eliminate direct elementary music instruction, weaken pathways to middle/high school ensembles and harm student attendance and mental health.
A string of public commenters at the Gresham-Barlow SD 10J budget committee meeting told elected and appointed committee members that the proposed 2026 budget would deeply damage music education across the district.
Students described music as an essential outlet: "Music has saved my life," said a junior choir member, and other students testified that participation keeps them in school and supports mental health. Parents and teachers gave specific figures: one parent said the district—ut proposal removes about 9.5 elementary music teacher positions and would save roughly $1.3 million; she proposed instead reducing those positions to half-time to preserve approximately 4.75 licensed FTE for about $650,000.
Administrators acknowledged the emotional testimony and explained technical constraints: Division 22 requires an arts program but does not mandate elementary music minutes, staff said, and restoring half-time elementary music would require four additional licensed positions. District staff proposed hiring a performing-arts specialist and five educational assistants to provide a rotation/residency model and argued those roles address safety, supervision and curriculum transitions to middle school.
Speakers requested clearer communication about proposed changes to the Dual Language Immersion program and asked for family involvement before program restructures. Several parents pushed the committee to consider a local option levy or other long-term revenue strategies to restore programs rather than relying on one-time reserves.
The committee recorded the testimony and subsequently approved the budget; several members asked staff for updated class-size projections and a clearer multi-year fiscal outlook before the school board dopts the final budget.
Quotes above reflect public testimony during the May 20 meeting.
