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Parents and educators urge board to reverse cuts to elementary music and counseling amid budget squeeze
Summary
Multiple public commenters, including teachers and counselors, urged the Gresham-Barlow School District board to reconsider proposed eliminations of licensed K-5 music and reductions to counseling staff, citing student impact and equity concerns as the district balances its budget.
Community members, teachers and counselors used the board's public comment period to press the Gresham-Barlow School District for alternatives to proposed budget cuts that would eliminate licensed K-5 music and reduce counseling staff.
Becky Caputo, a longtime district employee and parent, told the board that eliminating licensed elementary music "is not a small adjustment, it is a fundamental shift" and asked what plan exists to deliver state-required arts education next year and who will provide instruction. Band teachers Jenna Gagne and Paul Nickolas described music as a vehicle for broad access to the arts and student engagement, with Gagne urging the board to adopt a half-time elementary music model rather than removing licensed music positions entirely.
Andrea Parra, a counselor at Gresham High School, said the district has cut 7 FTE from counseling and social work and warned that "caseloads are currently at 140% of the national standard and will be at 160% next year," a change she said will force counselors to make difficult triage decisions. The teachers' union representative at the meeting later echoed concerns about transfers to special funds and the impact on classroom services.
Speakers argued the district should consider local revenue options: Jeremy Weed, a multilingual teacher at Gresham High School, criticized the board for not pursuing a local mill levy and said the pattern of cuts amounts to "chop and drop." Several commenters pointed to audit figures and reserve balances while asking whether some restricted or special-revenue funds could be redirected to preserve instructional positions.
The board did not take immediate action on the specific staffing decisions during the meeting. Superintendent Dr. Tracy Klinger acknowledged the difficulty of balancing a technically required balanced budget and said the district must act within actualized revenue while advocating at the state level for a funding model that reflects the cost of education. Klinger also reported the district did not receive a summer learning grant that would have supported transitions and credit recovery for the next three years, adding to the budget pressures.
The board will continue the budget process at upcoming budget committee meetings and a June 4 budget hearing.
