Mesa Public Schools consider cutting music classes amid budget, enrollment crisis

Valley public school districts continue to struggle with declining enrollment, leading to budget cuts in certain cases. 

Arizona’s largest public school district – Mesa Public Schools - is now faced with the tough decision to cut staff and programs. 

What we know:

The meeting exceeded maximum capacity on Tuesday, Jan. 28. The community spoke out against a proposal that would eliminate general music for 4th, 5th & 6th graders in Mesa Public Schools. 

A current math teacher pleaded to keep the program, expressing the importance between math and general music. 

Some fear this decision could contribute even more to declining enrollment. 

"We have funding cuts & it’s always the arts," said Sharon Benson, a Mesa Public Schools board member. 

Why you should care:

The meeting was standing room only at Mesa Public Schools board meeting as budget cuts were debated. 

Meanwhile, the district expects to lose 1,800 student’s next fall. 

"If cuts must be made, Mesa has one superintendent, one associate super, 78 assistant supers and over 30 directors to departments. Make cuts to music and you’ll see more than just the 1,800 students leave," said one attendee. 

The district announced they will eliminate 147 district level positions, but it's still unclear in what areas. 

Last year they cut 400 positions. 

Dig deeper:

They say the enrollment drop comes from low birth rates and high housing costs. 

The reality is the budget could drastically change over the next year, and not for the better. 

"The ground seems to be shifting quite quickly. I don’t know what our federal funds will look like. I don’t know what our student count will look like. There is a lot of unknown," said assistant superintendent Scott Thompson. 

What they're saying:

Parents fear the $50 million investment into Mountain View High Schools brand-new arts facility will go to waste. 

"Who is going to fill it? If you stop education at K-6, it's very imperative that stays to funnel through and keep this quality," said parent and alum Emma Giffen. 

Some board members said they want to see other options before they vote to remove the music classes.

The district is also expected to announce staffing cuts. They have a deadline of Feb. 7 to notify personnel.

EducationMesaNews