Commentary: Saving arts and music in Edmonds School District

Edmonds school district officials and school board members,

As members of the broad and diverse community served by the Edmonds School District, we want to express our distress at the impending cuts to arts and music programs. As educators, you know as well as we do that art, music, theater and other arts are vital to a complete educational experience. This is not only our heartfelt belief; This is a fact proven by rigorous research. For example, a recent large-scale randomized controlled study conducted by the Brookings Institution in 42 schools in Houston found that, compared with a control group, students in art programs reported significantly fewer disciplinary violations, significantly higher writing scores, and greater respect for others. Compassion is also higher.

We do understand that schools today face competing priorities and severe financial pressures. We and others in the community are prepared to support the continuation of vital arts education and the retention of dedicated and valuable teaching staff as the district overcomes budget constraints. But we expect and insist that funding for these valuable arts programs be restored as soon as possible to the school programs we are committed to supporting with our dollars and votes.

— Edmonds School District Parents & Citizens

Dr. Jack Farris
Joe DeMiro
Kaisi Liu
Daniel Johnson
Ryan Crowther
Nancy Ekrem
Erica Barnett
Nate Omdahl
Jonathan Gipaia
Dee Daniels
Brett Holt
Caroline Harvey
Daniel and Jennifer Castle
Paul Burton
tarafy
George Smith
Kim Siegrist
Tiffany Hanson
Deborah McCarthy
Jennifer Coons
Mark Coons
Jacob Coons
Nathan Coons
Dave Whiteman
Maya Hemachandra
Scott Johnson
Jennifer Tate
Silas and Joshua Knapp
Rick Steves
Jeremy Schultz
Margaret Schultz
Paul Burton
Michael and Bonnie Britt
Leah Jones
Michelle Grant
Ryan Waters
April Well
Erica Dearstein
Christine Ho
Taj Mahal
Michelle Gordon
Kim Varner
Erich Simons
Emiko Burns
Kimberly Lee
Christina Gibson
Dennis and Charlene Handa
Rotten there
DeMiro wins
Dennis and Charlene Handa
Rachel Powell
Kathy Henning
Michael Williams
Desmond Williams
Maisie Williams
Angela Johnston
Sarah Richard
Linda Glaze
Rebecca and Sean Herbert
Lynn and Frank Blosser
Catrina Paulette Navarro
Jessica Brady
Sharon Ryder
Tony Boseman
Melissa and Tim Reed
Jeanne Rittirotte
Chelsea Stanciu
Sally Ralston
Rachel and John Garrett
Deirdre K. & Raven Mimura
David Gravind
Sirnoff Tuswick Johnson
Shannon and Sean McDowell
Janet Green
candy and charlie gaul
Kelly Bulmer-King
Steve Tressel
Lynn Tresseler
George Jenkins
Linda Gable
Robin Rusu
Mike Byers
Nathan Irby
Emily Jeffers
Brian and Zoe Manzo
Sarah Finn
Shirley Chitwood
Mike Hayford
Will Harvey
Amy Samuels
Carl and Shawna Berggren
Kendra Anderson
Vicki Lockhart
Linaya Bunbury
Matt and Sarah Rudberg
Cheryl Copeland
Ryan Copeland
Rhys Copeland
candlelight miller
Andy Robbs
Sophie Robes
Jack Robben
Chad James
charles james
Cascadia Youth Orchestra
Leah Parker
Tracy Thorpe
Tiller Johnson
suzy cover
Jack Robben
Cascadia Youth Orchestra
Leah Parker
Tracy Thorpe
Tiller Johnson
Maria Patricia Espinosa Landa
Maria Lourdes Espinosa Landa
Diorella Soriano
Fantasia
tarafy
Aggie Van Horn
Matt Van Horn
Sianna Van Horn
Nicholas Van Horn
Patty Case
Rachel Yoder
Audrey Choi
Chris Choi
Rebecca Fairman
Janet Pope
Lauren Parker
Landa Zaitz
Dave Dollaki
Angie Acheson
Jennifer Thomas