Modesto City Schools music teachers bring contract complaint to board of trustees

The Modesto City Schools Board of Education heard concerns from music teachers Monday night about a district proposal that would restructure the day at elementary schools.

The turnout came as the school district has been in contract negotiations with the Modesto Teachers Association and the California School Employee Association for a little over a month.

The MCS proposal would align the instructional schedules of elementary school teachers in each grade, while also extending the length of each subject block. It allows for a P.E. period three times a week and a visual and performing arts period twice a week, but eliminates computer literacy courses. Among several goals is to get all students exposed to the visual and performing arts, and also avoid layoffs through negotiations, according to Superintendent Vanessa Buitrago.

“The proposal seeks to create more continuity in the instructional day by reducing the frequently fragmented or interrupted learning segments that occur in our current schedules,” Associate Superintendent Mike Henderson said in an Oct. 24 update on negotiations.

Visual and performing arts instructors are working with the district to create a schedule that allows for a general education music class for all students. But the teachers are concerned that will come at the expense of visual and performing arts classes that offer more in-depth instruction, like classes that teach students how to play instruments.

“Our single-subject music teachers are highly trained professionals who have built a thriving, award-winning seven-12 program,” MTA President Jennifer McGrath said during Monday night’s meeting. “Shifting them into a role focused primarily on broad exposure, recorders and basic activities, does not utilize their expertise.”

Buitrago tried to put teachers at ease. While there is a lack of clarity on how general music classes and advanced music classes would operate in the new schedule, she said, there is no effort by the district to cut music classes, and there are misconceptions about how the new schedule would operate.

“I recognize that the district’s negotiations team has not clearly articulated the way in which exposure to music and advanced music will both happen simultaneously,” Buitrago said. “Modesto City Schools is neither proposing to cut music nor exploring the option … The rest of it needs to be addressed in negotiations since bargaining is still in progress.”

All current proposals are being negotiated and no agreement has been reached. The Monday meeting marked the first time that a disagreement during the ongoing bargaining sessions has come into the public view.

In addition, the proposal offers an increase in family health plan contributions and bereavement leave, and creates a sick bank for employees to request and donate their sick days, according to the district’s website.

MCS’s current schedule proposal would eliminate the services of computer literacy staff and prep providers — people who take over the classroom for a block of time, so teachers can have a block of time to prepare — though the staff have been asked to switch their services into the visual and performing arts or physical education, not laid off. This requires acquiring different credentials for some MCS staff.

McGrath added that computer literacy is a vital skill for students, teaching them keyboard skills and digital literacy. She also questioned the efficacy of switching computer literacy instructors to visual and performing arts or physical education just after the district invested into its computer and technology infrastructure through bond Measure L, which was approved by voters in November 2022.

“We understand concerns about screen time, but removing structured computer literacy instruction does not reduce screen time, it only removes the skills students need to use technology responsibly, safely and successfully,” McGrath said.

This story was originally published November 20, 2025 at 7:30 AM.