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Parents and students urge board to restore music program after hires rescinded
Summary
Parents and three student speakers told the Bass Lake Joint Union Elementary board that rescinded music-hire contracts and unclear communication left the district with no in-person performing-music instruction this year and asked the board to remedy the situation.
Parents and student leaders told the Bass Lake Joint Union Elementary School District board that recent hiring and credentialing problems have left the district without in-person performing-music instruction as the school year begins.
"We just are here today to make our voices known for the music community here, that music is a huge part of our family," said Melissa Booth, identified on the agenda as a parent of four whose older children participated in the district music program. Booth said she learned only in the last few days that management decisions left her eighth-grade son without a band director and raised the prospect that younger children may also lack instruction when they reach higher grades.
Student speakers described personal and academic impacts. "I plan to be a professional musician when I graduate college, and this will seriously negatively affect my future," said Ian Booth, a middle-school student who participates in district and regional ensembles. Rory Booth, a high-school sophomore, said the program "is such a welcoming and amazing environment that improves everybody's life" and warned that classmates without instruments or classroom instruction will miss critical opportunities.
Ryan Wilco, a senior and president of instrumental music, described multiple hires whose contracts were later rescinded over credential or paperwork issues and said, "for the 1st time as well, in at least 10 years, rather other than the online COVID year, there is now 0 performing music instruction opportunities for students within this district." He urged better communication between the district and families and invited board members to speak directly with principals and the superintendent to clarify plans.
Board members responded in public comment, thanking the Booth family for speaking and saying they heard the concerns. "Music is very important to our superintendent and the board as well," a trustee said, adding the district must follow compliance steps before final staffing decisions can be implemented. Trustees asked staff to continue working through the credential and hiring issues and acknowledged the need for clearer communication to families.
The public comment period did not produce a formal board motion on the issue; trustees said staff would continue investigating and communicating next steps.
