In middle of pandemic, new Puyallup superintendent still committed to improving community trust
The Puyallup School District’s new superintendent, who was hired to build community trust, has found himself steering the 33-school district through unprecedented uncertainty.
John Polm started on July 1, a time with COVID-19 cases are beginning to surge again.
The board felt that such a trait would be required to mend the divide between the community and the district.
Recent years have left many employees and voters concerned over frayed trust. For the first time in decades, Puyallup teachers held a strike over salaries at the beginning of the 2018 school year. Class sizes have grown — in some cases to more than 50 students — leaving teachers feeling overwhelmed. At the ballot box, Puyallup voters refused the district a bond measure for new high schools last year.
Budgetary constraints caused further cuts in the central administration office before the pandemic hit this year.
For the first time in years, Puyallup Educators Association president Karen McNamara said, she feels assured that the superintendent will put kids first. She has met with Polm a handful of times and believes he will navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic well.
“I feel bad he has been thrown into the deep side of the pool,” she said. ”He is someone who is going to listen to what experts say and realize we are not game pieces, but real, live people with concerns.”
Now four months in the coronavirus pandemic, schools are trying to adhere to public health safety measures like social distancing, mask-wearing and frequent hand-washing, all while providing in-person instruction as often as possible.
Polm, a Washington native hailing from Longview, stepped in the position after four years as Port Townsend School District’s superintendent. Prior to that, he was a high school principal in Bremerton and a music and math teacher.
He expected to have in-person sit-downs with community stakeholders, hoping to build relationships. Instead, he is looking at learning models for the fall and finding an alternative site for Karshner elementary students after a fire destroyed the building.
“Our team is working hard right now on analyzing enrollment and the staffing we currently have and also the physical spaces,” he said. “I would say we are in sprint mode right now.”
Puyallup School District is considering a combination of online and face-to-face learning, by dividing classes and alternating days for fourth to 12th grade. Lower grades could see more in-class learning due to smaller class sizes.
Polm recognized the difficulty teachers and students have had with losing the connection of daily interaction but said the district is doing all it can to follow state guidelines while meeting educational needs.
The district is trying to provide as much face-to-face instruction as possible. Polm said they have not made any plans to reduce staffing at the schools at this point.
“It’s not on the table at this time,” he said.
Polm doesn’t feel deterred in achieving his primary goal of rebuilding trust.
He is trying to reach out to community leaders to listen to their concerns in between meetings through virtual meetings and socially-distant coffee meetups outside.
“I plan to meet regularly to check in and see how things are going to ensure that there’s transparency and communication,” he said. “I consider myself to be the lead servant of the district; in a sense that my job is to support the work that happens closest to the students in the classroom.”
Thus far, union president McNamara has been impressed with Polm’s effort.
“I look forward to his change,” she said. “I am very encouraged by his quiet leadership. I think that will help solve the issues and let us work together, and we all want what’s best for the kids.”
She said she couldn’t have asked for a better leader during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Everyone feels scared and worried,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a three-year teacher or you’ve been on the job for 30 years. This is unprecedented.”
