By Darleen Thao

The lawsuit regarding the lack of funding for public schools was filed in February 2026 by a coalition of Wisconsin school districts against the state Legislature and Robin Vos.

A large reason for this lawsuit has been brought to the attention of students – especially those with a strong passion for the arts and languages – recently. These programs have been declining behind the scenes, but now it is becoming visible.

As a result of the funding cuts for public schools, the termination of many teachers in the Eau Claire Area School District has either been initialized and effective in the next academic year or up to discussion which puts the career of many at risk. This leads to the uncertainty among students regarding the quality of education in the future of our schools and how certain programs will continue without the educators who have been in the field for years.

The number of enrolled students at Memorial High School has had a decreasing trend over the years, including a 5.3% decrease in the 2024-25 academic year as compared to the previous year (Wisconsin Department of Public Institution). Additionally, the number of the enrolled class have been noticeably low in their participation within the music department. Considering both factors, it imposes a causal effect on the standing of the specific passion of many students at Memorial: band and music. It puts the number of bands at Memorial High School at risk as the termination of one of the many loved music directors, Dominic Domeyer, has been initialized already. 

“I am incredibly worried about the risks to the band program moving forward, especially the jazz program with the cuts being made to the faculty. Losing one teacher is going to lead to too much being on the other teacher’s plate, and will likely lead to fewer bands running, worsening the experience of people in over-full bands,” says Oliver Phillips, a music student at Memorial involved in both band and jazz. “With Mr. Domeyer being forced to leave for next year, I believe that many people will also drop music altogether. He has transformed the program into something very special and with the amount he cares about the program and his students, I think that the decision to cut him is a huge mistake and will be very destructive to students and the music program in general.”

“Jazz has been the most incredible part of my time at Memorial High School. Through jazz, I’ve made dozens of new friends that I wouldn’t have met otherwise … I hope that if the whole student body and the community act, we will be able to convince the district to keep Mr. Domeyer at Memorial, though it has been difficult to get my peers to engage in any action.”

Another anonymous student claims that the music programs at Memorial helped guide them through their high school years as it strengthened their passion in music and improved their skills as a musician through the band events, such as band trips and diverse music opportunities like Orchestra Winds and Show Band.

“We as students can’t just storm the school board and demand more funding for the music programs at our schools. We as students have to help the programs by going to fundraisers that they hold and that are actually acknowledging the programs as important for our school,” suggests Logan Hooks, another student at Memorial.

It’s clear that music holds a significant effect on many students. The actions being taken against the Eau Claire School District threatens the status of music education and causes a lot of stress onto not only the staff directly affected, but also students themselves. Though we currently lie in a position that is unpredictable to the state of Eau Claire schools and music programs, it is hoped that conditions will soon improve in order to help prospective students discover their own passions throughout high school.