As students, parents, directors, and community members connected to Oregon's small school choral, band, and orchestra programs, we are writing to urge the OSAA State Championship Committee to reject a series of proposals that will negatively alter the future of our State Championships.

Specifically, the revisions proposed by the committee would:

1. Significantly reduce the number of 3A and 2A/1A Choir, Band, and Orchestra State Championship qualifiers by nearly 40%, from twenty-two to fourteen.
2. Create inequitable qualification standards for 2A/1A Choirs, Bands, and Orchestras by combining 3A/2A/1A into one league.
3. Essentially end the largest competitive platform for many 3A/2A/1A choral programs by eradicating the rankings-based system (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and shifting to a ratings-based system (Superior, Outstanding, Excellent).

As a section leader of a 3A Choir, I have had the privilege of watching my choir grow from 20 to 50 students after the Covid-19 Pandemic. Our school's choral program is an optional, no-cut zero period class, and it has been truly inspiring to see so many passionate teens come to school almost an hour earlier than their peers to create music together. After four years of rebuilding, my choir automatically qualified for their first state championship since the pandemic. Watching other choirs perform that day, the opportunity to compete among such high-caliber programs was eye-opening and motivating. Even though we didn't place, I believe the sportsmanship and community of that championship is what inspired many of our first-year singers to keep coming back.

Just from choir alone, the current data shows troubling trends. According to OSAA records, only around 50% of all Oregon 3A/2A/1A schools combined have an existing choral program, compared to approximately 95% of 4A/5A/6A schools. Many small school choirs are already struggling to sustain both high-quality music education and student interest. By merging 2A/1A and 3A choirs into one league and reducing qualifiers by 40%, the OSAA is ensuring that only around 7% of small schools, as opposed to 16% of large schools, will have the opportunity to engage in competitive music. As such, these proposals directly contradict OSAA's own stated core belief that “no school, team or individual should be treated as any more or less than another.”

We believe every Oregon student deserves the meaningful opportunity to participate in competitive music. As such, we urge the committee to act in alignment with OSAA’s core values on April 27th, and vote to:

1. Maintain, if not increase, the number of 3A and 2A/1A state championship qualifying choral, band, and orchestra programs.
2. Reject the combination of 3A and 2A/1A schools in the choir, band, and orchestra state championships.
3. Maintain the current ranking-based system for Choir State Championship competitions.

With days left before the committee deliberates, now is the time to act. The future of Oregon’s small school choral, band, and orchestra programs lies in your hands — please sign and share this petition.