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Resident urges board to reverse orchestra staffing change after budget cuts
Summary
A resident urged the board to preserve a high‑school orchestra teacher position, saying budget cuts moved a high‑school strings teacher to an elementary school and that merging honors and beginner orchestra will harm the program; the board attorney cautioned speakers they are responsible for opinions about staff.
During the public‑comment portion of the meeting, Ariana Garcia spoke to the board about a recent staffing change in the music department that she said moved the high‑school orchestra teacher (referred to as 'Miss Sarah') to Miller School amid budget cuts.
Garcia praised the teacher’s impact on student musicians and said the reassignment will force honors and beginning orchestra students into a single, merged class. "If anyone deserves to be leading a high school level program it is Miss Sarah," Garcia said, adding that merging advanced and novice players would diminish high‑school string instruction.
A district attorney present interjected to remind Garcia that public comments about staff are the speaker’s responsibility and that the board cannot endorse opinions about individual employees. Garcia acknowledged the caution but reiterated her appeal that the board preserve dedicated high‑school string instruction.
The board did not announce any staffing reversals or actions during the meeting; the item was presented as public comment and the superintendent and personnel committee handle staffing decisions.
