Teacher urges Roanoke board to protect fine-arts programs and press for transparency

At the April 14 meeting of the Roanoke City School Board, teacher and city resident George Dickinson used his three minutes of public comment to press the board on possible cuts to fine-arts programming and to urge clearer communication from central office to teachers.

"Some of these classes will no longer even be available at certain middle schools and that many of our students will be unable to attend zero period or after-school rehearsals due to a lack of activity buses," Dickinson said, describing students who would be most affected as those already disadvantaged.

Dickinson also described a lack of trust between Central Office and teachers, saying that sudden reassignments and expectations for extra-contract work have left some teachers "in tears" and that the consequences for Central Office employees have been described as position loss or unpaid leave. He asked the board to prioritize transparent decision-making and to preserve programs that have supported diverse learners.

He raised the Plato program as an example of an initiative under consideration; Dickinson said that if the program is discontinued, "the nine classes in two schools would not remain empty," implying staff and placement impacts. The board thanked him for his comments but did not provide a detailed response during the meeting.

The board's public-comment rules were read before Dickinson spoke, including the requirement to state name and residency and the three-minute time limit. No staff or board action was taken during the meeting to address Dickinson's specific requests; the transcript records the comment for the board's record.

The board's next business meetings and workshops were listed at the meeting's close; board leaders encouraged continued public participation and said they value community feedback when making division decisions.