Hundreds attend and demonstrate at Tacoma School Board meeting
Last night hundreds of educators, parents and community members packed into the Tacoma School Board meeting to urge district leaders to reach a contract agreement and avoid a strike. Dozens more demonstrated outside the building before and throughout the meeting.
While the board expressed a strong commitment to starting school on time, there seems to still be a great deal of separation between the district and the Tacoma Education Association (TEA).
Superintendent and Union President go public
Earlier in the week, in an open letter addressed to "Tacoma School District Families, Staff, and Community," Tacoma School District Superintendent Art Jarvis went public with his frustrations with the TEA. Jarvis blamed the union for the lack of bargaining progress and lampooned the organization for what he deemed "shockingly unexpected new demands." His entire letter can be read here.
In an interview with the News Tribune TEA president Andy Coons says the union asked for a raise after the district proposed teachers and other union members take a pay cut. Coons explains to the TNT that the union is more concerned with the district's plan to increase class sizes, but added that the district should pay enough to attract and keep new teachers.
Earlier today Jennifer Boutell of TacomaMama.com broke down the negotiations and offered her take on the situation.
Tacoma-Pierce Chamber of Commerce members receive discounts for their support
On Tuesday The News Tribune reported that the Washington State History Museum is offering discounted memberships to Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce members because of the chamber's support of the recent push to keep the Legislature in Olympia from closing the museum.
The discount is legally legitimate because it was not offered until after the support and lobbying had been completed. Still, it strikes me as pause-worthy when I imagine what might happen if this sort or reward-after-support trend were widely practiced by public agencies, programs or institutions.
Residents invited to weigh in on new City Manager
As we've noted previously on Spew, the City of Tacoma has invited the public to weigh in regarding expectations for the new City Manager via an online survey. The survey addresses subjects like priorities, qualifications and management style. You can find it here.
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