Hundreds of teachers and their supporters packed a meeting of the Tacoma School Board on Thursday to plead for a contract settlement.
Those who couldn't make it into the filled-to-capacity board room rallied outside in the parking lot, chanting and cheering throughout the meeting.
"We want to teach," Toni Moore, a teacher at Washington-Hoyt Elementary School, told the board. "I love my job. I love my children. I love working with families."
She said teachers want to return to school on time for the first day Sept. 1. Many have been working this week to prepare their classrooms, she added.
Board President Kurt Miller told the crowd that the board is just as committed to having school start next week for the sake of students.
"We cannot spend one extra day talking about issues that affect adults," he said.
The district's three-year contract with the teachers union, the Tacoma Education Association, expires Wednesday. If there's no agreement, teachers could vote to strike, or they could continue working under their expired contract while negotiations continue.
Superintendent Art Jarvis, during his report to the board, offered this brief comment: "School starts Sept. 1." He thanked maintenance workers, teachers and others for working hard in recent weeks to prepare for that.
On Wednesday, Jarvis sent a message to families in the school district expressing his frustration with contract negotiations and criticizing teachers for asking for more money.
But both TEA President Andy Coons and teachers on Thursday said money is not the union's top issue. Coons scolded Jarvis for "disparaging teachers and questioning our motives."
Coons told The News Tribune later that teachers did not ask for across-the-board salary increases. He said they do want to maintain the existing salary schedule that pays teachers more for added education and years of experience.
"I don't want a pay raise," Stewart Middle School teacher Damond Crump said outside the meeting. "I'm not sure where the superintendent got that idea."
He said teachers realize the district is caught in tough economic times. But he pointed out that Tacoma is also "sitting on a large reserve" of cash that could be used to cushion teachers from the 1.9-percent salary funding cuts that came down from the state this year.
District officials acknowledge the fund balance ñ although their estimate of $39 million is about $6 million less than the union's. But they say they already have plans to spend down reserves over the next several years to stave off other budget cuts.
After the public meeting Thursday, the board went into an executive session to discuss labor negotiations. Bargaining was scheduled to continue late Thursday.
While teachers spoke loudest Thursday, members of the Vibrant Schools Tacoma Coalition continued to hit their themes, such as the desire for a contract with more effective teacher evaluations, more multicultural training for teachers, and help in closing the achievement gap for minority kids.
"Currently, negotiations are taking on a 'he said-she said' tone," said coalition member Bill Hanawalt. He urged the board and teachers to adopt a "student-centered" contract and start school on time.
While teacher negotiations were front and center Thursday, several people also said they're worried about how the board is conducting a search for a new superintendent to replace Jarvis, who retires at the end of the school year.
The board sought internal candidates first, and only one ñ Deputy Superintendent Carla Santorno ñ applied. Board members are scheduled to interview her in a public meeting Sept. 7 and vote Sept. 8 on whether to hire her or widen their search. The district announced Thursday that Santorno will also meet with the public at 6 p.m. Sept. 6 at the district administration building downtown.
Parent Tom Rickey urged the board to conduct a wider search with regional and national recruiting.
"A comparison with her and other candidates Ö would do Ms. Santorno more justice, as she could win the position on her own comparable merits versus just a rubber stamp that might leave us wondering," he said.
Debbie Cafazzo: 253-597-8635
debbie.cafazzo@thenewstribune.com
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