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Parents press board over band director resignation and abandoned props at public comment
Summary
At public comment, Mr. Walsh and other parents criticized what they said were failures in communication after the previous band director’s departure and urged better coordination; board members urged parents to contact building administrators first and said they support students and the new director.
During public comment at the Southwestern Schools board meeting, parent Mr. Walsh described props used by the marching band that had been left outside the high school and said those props were built and funded by students and parents. "Those props were built with money raised by the band by the students who built those props," he said, and told the board the way the previous band director left "devastated those kids" and contributed to a drop in participation.
Mr. Walsh and other parents said they were not given notice and raised questions about storage and who was responsible for moving props after events. Board members acknowledged parents' concerns, apologized for communication lapses and encouraged parents to first contact building administration (elementary principal Bobby Adams; other building administrators named included Craig McMar, Lisa Hawkins, and high school principal Matt Owens). Board member Jeff Bates and others emphasized that the proper chain of contact is the building administration and that the board would hear concerns at future meetings or in executive session if appropriate.
The exchange included emotional appeals about student impact and repeated requests for clearer communication between parents, band leadership and school staff. Board members said they support the students and asked parents to put concerns on an agenda or pursue executive session conversations if formal discussion is needed. The board did not take formal action during public comment.
Quotes: "Those props were built with money raised by the band by the students who built those props." — Mr. Walsh "Start at the building level…if you don’t get satisfaction there then you move up the chain and come to me." — Jeff Bates (board member)
What’s next: Parents said they will organize and follow up with administration and return to the board if unresolved. The board scheduled a future meeting (Sept. 23) and offered to hear the group with an agenda item or in executive session if appropriate.
