Tacoma teachers make their own decisions, do what's best for students

I have taught Tacoma’s children for 22 years. I attended Tacoma Public Schools, as did my daughters. I live here. This is my community.

So when some Seattle-based, corporate-funded lobbying group like the Washington Policy Center attacks my integrity and my commitment to our students, I want to set the the record straight.

Paid anti-teacher agitators like Liv Finne (Viewpoint, 8-30) want you to think Tacoma teachers are puppets controlled by an all-powerful outside force. Anyone who knows me, or who knows any Tacoma teacher, knows how absolutely ludicrous that conspiracy theory is.

Let me tell you: Tacoma teachers make our own decisions. That’s true in the classroom, and it’s true when it comes to our contract negotiations with Superintendent Art Jarvis and the Tacoma School Board.

That’s why we’re dedicated to negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement that focuses on what matters most: our students. Tacoma teachers want a contract that is fair, innovative and student-centered. And that’s why we take issue with proposals from Jarvis, Deputy Superintendent Carla Santorno and board President Kurt Miller.

For example, they want larger class sizes. The administration is adamant about packing more students into our kids’ classrooms. Even one additional student in a classroom means a teacher has less time to provide the individual help and attention every child needs and deserves. Tacoma teachers believe that, if anything, we should be lowering class sizes. On average, Washington’s students are the third-most-crowded classrooms in the entire country.

Jarvis, Santorno, Miller and others in the central administration office want to replace the existing school staffing policy with one that is subjective, inconsistent and open to manipulation. Under what they propose, administrators could hire their friends and punish teachers they dislike, even based on things like gender and race. How is that good for kids?

Tacoma teachers believe school staffing decisions should be transparent and consistent. We’re open to changes in school staffing policies, but they have to be objective and fair.

Jarvis, Santorno and Miller admit they’ve stockpiled at least a $39 million budget surplus, and some reports say it may be even higher. That’s taxpayer money that should be spent to support students in the classroom. There’s simply no financial reason for district bureaucrats to be proposing the larger class sizes and cuts we know will be bad for kids.

Tacoma teachers are in their schools today preparing for the start of school tomorrow. Most of us have spent numerous unpaid days preparing lesson plans and prepping our classrooms. Many of us have children enrolled in Tacoma Public Schools.

We’re eager to see our students and get down to the hard work of making sure every child is getting a great education. We want school to start Thursday as scheduled. But we also know that overcrowded classrooms and staffing policies that punish teachers aren’t going to improve student learning.

So when Tacoma’s teachers meet at 4:30 today, we will discuss what steps to take if Jarvis, Santorno and Miller have failed to offer a fair contract that is centered on students.

Unlike Finne, I have faith and confidence in Tacoma teachers. I know they will do what’s best for their students.

Adrienne Dale, the incoming vice president of the Tacoma Education Association, is a Tacoma resident and longtime Tacoma teacher. For more information, visit www.WeTeachTacoma.org.