PPS: Equitable Access to Quality Music Instruction for Every Student, Every Day.

To Superintendent Guerrero, School Board Members, Senior Cluster Directors, Central Office Administrators, and Middle School Administration,

The Portland Friends of Music (PFoM) is a rapidly-growing coalition of over 200 parents, teachers, students, and community members, from every board zone, who are advocating for equitable access to high-quality curricular music programs across the Portland Public School District. PFoM is here to be a partner with the district leadership.

The Portland Friends of Music respectfully and strongly disagrees with the process of how the district is implementing the PE and Health mandate. The process is moving too fast: The change to a 6-period (instructional time) schedule has not gone through due process with the community; some schools have been offered a 7-period day solution whereas other schools are taking on FTE cuts and can't use the 7-period schedule solution. The 6-period day will force some students to choose just one elective out of the entire spectrum (ELL, AVID, Visual Arts, World Language, Music), immediately narrowing their future options, and worse, some students to have no elective choice at all, particularly students in dual immersion programs, students with disabilities, and students identified as "academic priority" and "historically underserved" by PPS. This includes many students of color, English learners, and students living in poverty who attend schools where many of these programs (dual language, AVID, etc.) were placed at as part of past district equity efforts.

The Arts Education Master Plan (San Francisco Unified School District) is what PFoM supports for PPS. We understand that this is the direction the district is heading and we are excited! One of the pillars of support for the AEMP is Partnerships and Collaborations with community stakeholders. The Portland Friends of Music is ready and willing to participate on the AEMP team. We wholeheartedly believe that the 6-period day will have significant negative ramifications on all of the visual and performing arts in PPS and by extension, student outcomes as well. Please spend the resources necessary for middle schools to keep a uniform 7-period day at every middle school campus while a team of stakeholders plans the roll-out of the PE and Health mandate for 2019-2020.

Thank you for working with us to ensure our students have access to the programs and opportunities that help them learn and grow into the citizens we need them to be.

PFoM