A handful of parents attended the meeting armed with concerns that, beginning in the fall, their children will have to choose between the activities they love, rather than participate in all of them as they have in years past.

Due to construction at some schools and other issues that are leading to scheduling conflicts, many parents are afraid their children will not be allowed to participate in multiple music and theater programs this fall.

Nancy Quinn, who has a child involved in both choir and theater at Raymond J. Fisher Middle School, says she is concerned that incoming sixth-graders may have to give up activities.

"I think it's a shame. I'd like to see [students] be able to do both," she says. "There are a lot of students who want to do both, who have been playing an instrument for years and who also want to do theater or choir."

Many parents are being told that incoming sixth-graders will be able to take choir in zero period--a class that takes place before the official school day begins. However, zero period may be the option for seventh- and eighth-graders as well, and Quinn said she is afraid that by mixing the grades, the level of the music they study and perform will remain stagnant, to accommodate everyone.

"Students should be advancing, they should have music that is challenging, they shouldn't be going backwards," she said.

Lisa McAdams, a parent with children at both Blossom Hill and Fisher, said she is concerned that as her son moves into high school he will have to choose between his two loves--marching band and choir.

Two members of the school board--Karen Sanders Noe and Tina Orsi-Hartigan--sympathized with the parents, and said their children, who attend Los Gatos High School, have noticed students being forced to choose between sports and music as well.

Other parents brought up concerns about what middle schools are doing to motivate students to continue in the music program once they reach high school. Claire Langdon, whose children just graduated from Blossom Hill and Fisher, said she feels the district is not doing enough to retain its music students.

"They start dropping out [of the music program] around fifth grade or so," she said.

Debbie Shiba-Yamate, who has a child in the sixth grade at Fisher and one in the ninth grade at Los Gatos High, also chimed in.

"I talked to my daughter, who is in band at Los Gatos High, and asked her how many students who were in band with her at Fisher went on to enroll in band at high school, and she said only seven," Shiba-Yamate said. "Children are dropping out like flies."

Quinn and McAdams agreed, and said they felt that, if students were forced to choose between choir and either band or orchestra, they would all choose choir, leaving the bands and orchestras with even fewer talented musicians.

"We will continue to work on this and try to make it fit," Superintendent Mary Ann Park said. She will meet with administrators and music teachers to address the potential problem.

In her report on district goals that night, Park announced that funding has already been secured for two additional arts resource teachers, which she said should help expand school art programs.

In other news, the board was given construction and transportation updates on the renovations to Blossom Hill and Daves Avenue schools, as well as some improvements to Athenour.

Parents, teachers and board members greeted the announcement of the recommended bid for bus transportation for children to Athenour with much excitement. The vote to give Laidlaw Education Services the contract was unanimous. Laidlaw will provide six buses that can hold 84 passengers each to take six different routes, making six to eight stops each through several areas in the district. The contract will include the option to add or subtract buses or routes if ridership drops, and children will be outfitted with special bracelets that indicate the bus they should ride and where parents should pick them up and drop them off, for safety. The buses will be available for field trips as well.

The bid for interim housing and site upgrades at Athenour was approved and awarded to Coulter Construction. Bidding for both Blossom Hill and Daves Avenue is scheduled to begin in July. The board says everything appears to be on schedule for both projects, and it hopes all construction will begin in late August. The bond oversight committee reported that it expects the Daves Avenue project to take a total of 18 months, and Blossom Hill, 22 months. Both of these projects have begun.

Improvements to the small gym at Fisher are still in the design/development phase. It was reported that the project may cost less than the board originally thought, around $2.7 million.

"These modernizations [will] bring prestige to our schools and increase our property values," Mani Farhadi, chairwoman of the committee, said.

A brief reception was held to congratulate Dr. Suzanne Boxer-Gassman, who will take over the position of district superintendent on Aug. 1.