School Board discussed art and music programs

DAYTON — The Dayton School Board met at 6:30 p.m. on April 15, 2026. Superintendent Jeremy Wheatley, Board Chair Jeffrey McCowen, and Board Members Pat Davidson, Aneesha Dieu, Grant Griffin, and Ryan Paulson were present in the school library.

The Board passed the consent agenda. In addition to routine administrative items, the agenda included hiring Leah Turner as MS Assistant Softball Coach and accepting Max Tritt as a volunteer HS Baseball Coach. Finally, the Board approved FFA participation in the FFA State Convention, May 13–16, 2026.

Alexa Jones, ASB Vice President, presented the ASB Report to the Board. The report covered ASB elections for the next school year. It also included recent events like the bowling trip to the Tri-Cities, the upcoming Prom on April 25, 2026, the Touchet River Run on Memorial Day, and the return of the Elementary School Field Day. The HS ASB will help organize the Field Day.

Amy Gilick, the school’s music teacher, said the school band program begins with the Fifth Grade Band, then the Middle School Band, and finally the High School Band. In total, 206 students are participating in the music program. 

She said singing and dancing are also taught to the Elementary School students. This year, Gilick will take some students to the Lilac Festival in Spokane. Other events include mass band concerts in Clarkston, where Dayton’s young musicians perform alongside students from other schools.

A major challenge for the music program is the repair and maintenance of instruments. The school does not have the equipment or expertise to repair in-house. There are not enough funds to take broken instruments to repair shops; the closest is in the Tri-Cities. Gilick said some new instruments would improve the music program. Many students rent or buy their instruments. The board members brainstormed ideas for helping the music program.

Amy Cox, Principal, said Mr. Surridge did a wonderful job teaching HS art, using innovative and diverse methods to expose students to art from around the world. Jamie Trump teaches art in a different way, focusing on textile art, including hand embroidery, crocheting, needle felting, mixed media, machine sewing, and quilting.

The Board entered an executive session to “review a complaint against staff or programs.”

After returning from the executive session, the Board took action. Dieu moved to follow up with written documentation for the review of the complaint within 30 days, as required in Policy 3210. The motion was passed without discussion or debate. The meeting adjourned at 8:17 p.m.