Concerned parents and members of the community have put forward a counter-proposal as a local school district eyes eliminating elementary school music.
The Gresham-Barlow School District shared its proposed budget for the 2026-27 school year, which has several cuts to address a $10 million funding gap. The proposed cuts include spending, materials, reductions to programs, and laying off nearly 70 positions, including 28 teachers.
A major bulk of the personnel reduction is planned for elementary school music teachers. The district plans to cut 9.5 full-time employees ($1,301,500). In lieu of each school having its own music teacher, they would add a districtwide performing arts specialists and educational assistants “for supervision.”…