Edmonds School Board Members, you eliminated the band and orchestra programs across Edmonds schools with no public vote, no line-item justification, and no community dialogue — in a district with a $452 million budget.
This letter has been posted on social media and shared with Superintendent Reykdal, Senator Murray, and the Office of the Washington State Auditor.
This was not a tough decision. It was a deliberate failure of transparency, process, and educational leadership. Did you review the policies you agreed to adhere to AND your full budget? I did.
You Had the Budget. You Chose to Cut the Arts.
I reviewed your published 2025–26 financial documents, including:
- “2025–26 Budget Summary Presentation” (June 2025)
- “2025–26 Balancing Act Summary” (edmonds.wednet.edu)
- State Auditor’s Accountability Audit Report No. 1037423 (July 20, 2025)
- State Auditor’s Financial Audit Report No. 1037415 (July 20, 2025)
From these documents, the following is clear:
- The 2025–26 General Fund is $398.8 million, with total expenditures across all funds at $452.3 million.
- The decision to cut 6th grade band and orchestra was modeled as a $780,000 “balancing” option.
- Only 45.1% of community respondents supported the cut, a minority position that you ignored entirely.
- The budget cuts were not disclosed in detail, nor were arts reductions ever listed on any regular board agenda between May and July 2025.
Your “Balancing Act” process projected transparency but failed to honor community feedback. You offered no public-facing cost breakdown of alternatives, no analysis of the impact on student equity, and no attempt to explore grants, phased reductions, or temporary deferrals. You eliminated music as quietly as possible — until the community noticed.
1. Kindly Review Board Policy 1400 – Meeting Conduct, Order of Business and Quorum
This policy requires that agenda items be published in advance and clearly indicate action to be taken. Nowhere in the May 27, June 10, June 24, or July 8 public meeting agendas is there any mention of music, arts, or band program cuts. Consent agendas were used to mass-approve personnel and programmatic changes, denying the public a clear opportunity to respond.
2. Review Needed of Executive Sessions According to RCW 42.30.110
Two closed-door sessions (May 27 and June 10) occurred within the timeline of budget finalization. These meetings cited vague “personnel and legal” reasons. There is no evidence the decision to eliminate the band program was made in a public forum, strongly suggesting an improper use of executive session to determine material program cuts.
3. Lack of Line-Item Transparency in Budget Reporting
Despite boasting community engagement and fiscal “discipline,” the final budget lacks any public-facing breakdown of which specific programs were eliminated or scaled back. Music was not listed in any cost detail or impact report — a clear breach of budget transparency expectations.
Your recent Accountability Audit Report (AR1037423, July 2025) flagged issues with how the District handled:
- Bonus payments to administrators
- Restricted fund uses
- Compliance with public meeting standards
The report even notes:
“We noted certain matters related to payment of bonuses… communicated to the Board… The District’s operations complied only in the areas we examined.”
That last clause is telling. The District wasn’t fully cleared — only partially examined.
Were Policy 1400 and RCW 42.30 were properly followed during arts budget planning?
Equity Disaster Research consistently shows that music education:
- Improves graduation rates, student GPA, and standardized test scores
- Increases classroom engagement, especially among low-income and neurodiverse students
- Enhances school attendance, social cohesion, and emotional well-being
You talk about equity — and then eliminate one of the only programs proven to engage and retain students across race, income, and ability. This decision does not reflect a constrained budget. It reflects broken priorities.
I kindly request that the board:
- Immediately reinstate funding for band and orchestra programs at all impacted schools.
- Hold a PUBLIC and COMPLIANT hearing on the decision, with full documentation of costs, trade-offs, and alternatives.
- Conduct a board review of Policy 1400 compliance and executive session practices during the May–July 2025 period.
- Provide a clear explanation and apology to the families, educators, and students affected.
I welcome your resolution and reply.
Sincerely,
Carmela Amador-Fortin, Band Mom, Voter
COMMENTARY DISCLAIMER: The views and comments expressed are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the Lynnwood Times nor any of its affiliate.
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
One Response
https://foundationesd.org/give/save-the-arts/
I’d like to clarify that the exact numbers for proposed cuts can be found here. While the entire budget is not at risk, an estimated 300 students will be affected by cuts currently on the table. The premise of this letter to the editor is to spark community conversation, participation and review of sessions on a much needed program.