No good faith with Tumwater School District

Being a former student of Black Hills High School, I am anxiously following the negotiations for teacher contracts. Since they began in May, the Tumwater School District Board repeatedly claimed shortfall, yet the numbers indicate otherwise.

The Washington legislature provided school districts across the state with money clearly intended for teacher salaries. This will be easily sustainable for two years, and after that, many school districts will have shortfall. TSD seems to be a different case though. For the past several years, TSD has had millions in surplus. They repeatedly overestimate expenditures while they underestimate incomes. Meanwhile, the district is 22 teaching positions short, resulting in class sizes of 30 to 35 students.

Many teachers leave the district altogether. There are very few special education teachers, and last I heard, there are none at Black Hills. The TSD refuses to offer solutions for safety concerns in these classrooms. Teachers are harmed with the lack of safety precautions, and a teacher I know left after seeing a colleague end up with a broken arm.

The board acts poorly and has for several years at the expense of their students and staff. With impending teacher strikes, however, they have the opportunity to right their wrongs. Teachers want to start school on time. They want to teach. They want to help students. They don’t want to strike. They also have families to support and need living wages. I and so many other people beg the board to do what’s right.