GBSD board meeting — May 7, 2026
The proposed budget eliminates classroom music in all ten Gresham-Barlow elementary schools. That single decision will collapse middle school band and choir within two years and gut high school ensembles within five! Ending sixty-plus years of K-12 musical excellence in our district.
Voices from GBSD
K–5 music education holds a unique place in our schools: while middle and high school music programs reach only the students who choose them, elementary music is universal — every child participates. That makes those early years our one guaranteed window to give every student a foundation in music, regardless of background, family resources, or whether they ever pick up an instrument again. Skip it at the K–5 level, and for many kids, the door simply never opens.
The stakes go well beyond music itself. The elementary years are a critical period for brain development, and music engages this process in ways few other subjects can. It strengthens the neural pathways tied to language acquisition, memory, pattern recognition, and auditory processing — wiring that is far harder to build later in life. Without consistent music instruction during these formative years, children miss out on developmental gains the brain is specifically primed to make. Music isn't an extra or an enrichment activity at the K–5 level; it's a core subject that helps every other subject work better.
Performing arts in GBSD are not a small program — and the damage from cutting at the foundation does not stay at the foundation.
9
Elementary schools losing music
Every K-5 building in GBSD
~4,500
K-5 students affected
10 Elementary Schools District Wide
60+
Years of K-12 music tradition at stake
Including success prior to the formation of the Gresham-Barlow School District in 1994.
9
Middle school programs downstream
All GBSD middle school bands & choirs depend on K-5 feeders
8+
High school ensembles at risk within 5 years
Gresham , Sam Barlow, and Springwater Trail combined
K-12
Oregon requirement
State law requires music instruction at all grade levels
District-wide impact
Job cuts at the elementary level displace less-senior secondary teachers. While they are all certified and trained music educators, elementary instruction and high school jazz band require very different areas of expertise.
The ripple effect
This is not "just elementary." The K-12 music journey is one interlocking program. Eliminating K-5 music sets off a five-year cascade that ends with no competitive performing arts programs in any GBSD high school.
Year 0 — the cut
Every K-5 student in all 10 GBSD elementary schools loses weekly music instruction taught by a certified, licensed and music endorsed educator.
Year 1–2
Incoming sixth graders arrive with no foundation. Beginning ensembles cannot move at the pace they used to, and most students drop out before the first concert.
Year 2–4
Without a steady feeder, advanced and symphonic ensembles at all 5 GBSD middle schools cannot fill themselves. Multi-period music programs collapse to single periods.
Year 3–5
GHS & SBHS Wind Ensembles, Concert Choirs, Advanced Jazz bands, and other programs cannot fill auditioned seats. The full K-12 arts pathway is no longer viable.
Year 5+
Once dismantled, K-12 music infrastructure cannot be rebuilt in a single budget cycle. Restoring it requires hiring teachers, retraining educators, and rebuilding feeder culture from scratch — over a decade.
The petition
The official coalition petition lives on Change.org. Signing takes 30 seconds. Forward it after.
The legal question
We believe a district-wide elimination of elementary music may not be lawful under Oregon's standards for public K-12 instruction. The coalition is reviewing the district's plan against state requirements. The relevant law is short, and it is plain.
ORS 329.045 establishes that:
OAR 581-022-2030 establishes that schools must offer a "planned K-12 instructional program [that includes the] Common Curriculum Goals and academic content standards adopted by the State Board of Education."
Under OAR 581-021-0200, the Common Curriculum Goals consist in part of the Common Knowledge and Skills — "facts, concepts, principles, rules, procedures, and methods of inquiry associated with subject matter areas including music and art."
The State Board's adopted arts content standards cover five content areas:
This site is not legal advice. We are flagging a compliance question we believe the board, district counsel, and the public should address on the record before any vote.
The OMEA's full write-up of the relevant statute and rule, with citations, is here:
Open the legal briefCitations: ORS 329.045 · OAR 581-022-2030 · OAR 581-021-0200
There are other ways to balance this budget
The coalition is compiling alternatives that preserve performing arts while still closing the budget gap. These are starting points — placeholders below will be replaced with specific figures and proposals as we gather them.
Option A
Restore 50% of Elementary Music Educators and each teaches .5 in 2 elementary schools.
Allows for a music offering at each elementary taught by a licensed and highly qualified educator in Music Education.
Option B
small percentage reductions in non-classroom spending typically cover programs of this scale.
Option C
[PLACEHOLDER: GBSD's current SIA / Measure 98 / Student Success Act allocation, and whether arts can be eligible uses] — a portion of these state funds is intended for well-rounded education, which explicitly includes the arts.
Option D
[PLACEHOLDER: foundations, corporate sponsors, or partner organizations that have indicated interest in K-5 music in GBSD] — bridge funding while the district develops a permanent plan.
Option E
Pause the proposed cut for one budget cycle. Commission an independent compliance review against Oregon's K-12 instruction requirements, publish the findings, and bring a revised proposal to the community before any reduction takes effect.
Have a budget alternative we should add?
The coalition is collecting proposals. Send specifics to replace@this.com — include the source of the figure or quote.
Whatever we want them to hear, they need to hear it before then. Sign on Change.org. Email the board. Show up to public comment.