Puyallup schools superintendent to retire in 2020
Tim Yeomans will retire as the superintendent of the Puyallup School District at the end of the 2019-20 school year.
Yeomans discussed his intentions with the district Board of Directors earlier this month and made the announcement to staff members in an email.
“The Board was very thoughtful in their responses, and they have graciously accepted my proposal to complete the remaining 17 months of my employment with the district and see to fruition the many projects that are in process at the current time,” Yeomans wrote in the email.
Yeomans has served as Puyallup superintendent since July 2012. Previously, he was the superintendent of Meridian School District between 2007 and 2012. He holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Washington.
Yeoman’s base salary for the 2017-18 school year was $224,451, with a total salary of $319,092, according to an OSPI personnel report.
“We have been very pleased to work with Dr. Yeomans as superintendent,” school board president Chris Ihrig told The Puyallup Herald. “He and his staff have worked diligently toward accomplishing the strategic goals we have identified. He has worked tirelessly for the betterment of the district as a whole, and we believe the district is in a substantially better place than it was seven years ago.”
In his time as superintendent, the district passed a $292 million construction bond in 2015. It was the first bond to pass in the district in 14 years. The district also started various programs, such as the Pathway to Promise partnership with UW Tacoma, Express Connect for interested nursing students and early learning opportunities for younger students.
In his letter to staff, Yeomans highlighted a challenging fall for the district. In September, a strike by teachers over compensation delayed the start of school by three days. New funding formulas set in place by the Washington Legislature also impacted the district, he said.
“Discrepancies in funding formulas from the state have placed the district in a situation where providing compensation to our employees that is equitable when compared to other school districts in the Puget Sound region created budgetary challenges that will reach many years into the future,” Yeomans wrote. “These challenges will not only be felt in Puyallup, but by many school districts in the South Sound region.”
The Puyallup Education Association, an organization of school staff members, did not immediately respond to a request for comment as of Thursday.
Yeomans urged working together as a community for the long-term health and stability of the district and to solve any “hard feelings and challenges.”
“My purpose in sharing this information now is to allow us all to focus upon the work of the district and the conversations that will need to occur as we, as a community, focus on the future,” he said. “It is my hope, and that of the Board, that we will be able to successfully negotiate contracts with all of our employee groups with open contracts this year.”
The PTA Council of Puyallup, which represents more than 20 PTAs in the district, told The Herald its partnership with Yeomans has been a positive one.
“We hope the future Superintendent offers the same welcoming invite to the table,” the council wrote in a statement. “Thank you to Superintendent Yeomans for his years of service with the Puyallup School District. We wish him well with his future endeavors and in his retirement.”
Yeomans told The Herald on Monday that he made the announcement early to ensure the district has plenty of time to conduct a search for a new superintendent.
The Board of Directors intends to employ a search firm for the hiring and transition of a new superintendent. The process is expected to start in several months.
As for what’s next for Yeomans, he said he’s not sure, and is focusing on his remaining time with the district.
“I am committed, over the next 17 months, to seeing through the many capital projects, opening of new schools, enhanced curricular programs, and early childhood initiatives which are currently underway,” he said.
This story was originally published February 15, 2019 at 10:27 AM.
