Encore: students, teachers protest course changes and worker wages at Nov. 17 board meeting

By Elliot DeJong,

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

The pep band rendition of ‘Let’s Groove’ echoed outside the City Council Chambers at 6:16 p.m. on Nov. 17, where a number of music students prepared to voice concerns about recent changes in Davis Joint Unified School District performing arts staffing.

Matthew Kenney plays flute at DHS, and disagrees with last year’s decision to restructure music teaching positions to have one teacher per junior high school, the ‘generalist’ model.

“I definitely think the school district should find more music teachers,” Kenney said. “That’s really the only option now.”

Kenney says payment for the new position could be drawn from recently-passed Proposition 28 state funds.

Students from junior high schools also attended the event.

Violinist Maya Klein dropped her orchestra class after the director at Emerson changed.

“I was highly disappointed because the teacher who came (to teach) was not qualified to be an orchestra teacher,” Klein said. “I didn’t get taught the way I wanted to.”

Also filling the boardroom was a number of DJUSD teachers, who attended to advocate for higher pay.

The first of those teachers to speak was Victor Lagunes, Davis Teachers’ Association president, following board member Vigdis Asmundson’s land acknowledgment statement.

“There are too many people leaving our district to teach elsewhere,” Lagunes said.

He argued that DJUSD teacher salaries weren’t competitive, especially in a staff shortage.

California School Employees Association chapter president Sande Royval shared similar perspectives to Lagunes.

“A negotiated increase of 1.7% or 3% keeps CSEA behind the ball,” Royval said.

“An overview and examination of the music program” was proposed as an agenda item by board member Joe DiNunzio at a future meeting.

For more information on the change in music staffing, read this article.