North Bend School Board approves FY 2025-6 budget

On June 6th the North Bend school board voted to approve the fiscal year 2025 through 2026 budget for the North Bend School District. This year the school board had some tough decisions to make. Because the population of students dropped, the budget must drop with it and as the budget drops some cuts must follow.

The budget went though its normal public committee process, but the board failed to invite the people whose lives would be impacted the most. In this case the music teachers of North Bend had to get together and push for their voices to be heard.

It is important to note that previous to the student population of today, North Bend middle and high schools had one music teacher that they shared and the elementary schools had their own. When the population (and the budget) grew, it allowed the district to hire a music teacher so the middle and high school no longer needed to share. Now that the population is returning to lower levels the budget is returning as well and that forced the school board to make some cuts.

With the input from the music teachers it was agreed that grades 4-12 would see no change to their music programs. Third grade would get a reduction from twice a week to once a week of music instruction. Kindergarten, first, and second graders in North Bend would not have a music program next year.

This change would also affect the elementary schools, forcing them to juggle their classes around, as the music period helped fill the mandatory teacher preparation requirement that allows teachers non-instruction time to augment their instruction time.

On the June 6th school board meeting we heard from a lot of impassioned high schoolers and parents about how the North Bend High Schools music program was an important part of their lives. Then when it came time for discussion, the board did not have one single word to say to all of the passionate participants. They did not try to explain their budget or that the music programs that everyone there was so passionate to save were not in danger in the first place. The board did not try to praise the kids that came to participate in democracy by making their voices heard, they made no attempt to assuage parents fears, instead they just went straight for the vote and passed the budget 5-2. Instantly tears and sobs filled the room while others stormed out of the meeting room to gather in the parking lot and commiserate.

Then in a really callous display, with sobbing and anger filling the crowd, the chairman of the board continued the meeting to boast about the achievements of the schools, including of the marching band which further infuriated members of the audience. The board then extended its praise to include itself and how well they went though training together.

This meeting was the last opportunity the board had to pass a budget before the legal cutoff date, and if missed would have withheld pay from employees in the district. It is unfortunate that the board was also unable to communicate this with the meeting’s participants.

I hope that in the future the board can take its discussion time to better communicate with the public about why it is making its decisions and to be a little more clear on what those decisions are especially when its obvious there is a misunderstanding with the public. As well as to reach out and invite those that their decisions effect the most into the initial conversation.