Tacoma Specialists news & updates
July 2020 Vol. 2 view past issues
Each box represents an elementary school. Each arrow shows a teacher shared with another school.

In this example, if we start at Fern Hill, where each of the specialists are also assigned to a second school, we can trace how quickly the number of schools who share contact rises.
Speak Up for SPECIALISTS

TPS has arbitrarily split Music, PE and Library programs with no regard for program, instruction, school culture, health, workload, whole children and educators...the list goes on.


There are FIVE 1.0 FTE positions that are being split between 2-3 staff members, and TWENTY-THREE .6 or .8 FTE positions that are being split between 2-3 staff members.
There are 88 elementary specialists and 61 of us are scheduled to travel to 2nd and sometimes 3rd schools.  
This is a HUGE contact tracing nightmare! When we asked the person who did the staffing and an HR representative if they considered COVID in making these decisions, they answered, "No." This was in May. They have shown NO signs of making any changes.

Specialist staff are also HUGELY under-staffed by the district. Most schools don't have enough FTE allocated to cover all the classes at the school during a regular school year, let alone during a pandemic.

The damage this does to quality of instruction and school culture is inestimable. The increase in the workload of those of us being split is inequitable, and in these times, the health risks it imposes on traveling staff is unconscionable.

We are lobbying for each position to be covered by one person wherever possible.
One educator per job reduces the risks of COVID exposure for staff, students and families, improving  SAFETY .
One educator per job also provides continuity of instruction. This improves the  QUALITY  of instruction and learning. As things stand, many students will have instruction divided between teachers.
  • example: Student #1 has Music on Monday with Mr. A and Music on Wednesday with Ms. B.
  • Mr. A and Ms. B. will never see each other and are given no time to collaborate because when they are not teaching at Student #1's school, they are each teaching with Ms. C and Mr. D at student #500's school, who are in turn, sharing with Teachers E and F and so on and so on...
The deployment decisions made, though intended to alleviate inequities, actually make the situation worse. The piecemeal staffing of specialist positions creates many more inequities than it solves -- depriving students of learning opportunities and treating educators with disrespect and disregard.
EQUITY  is important.
After more than six weeks of requesting, the district has provided some of the information requested. The documents linked on this page have been updated to reflect this. This information was acquired by a private citizen through a public records request and given to us. None of it has been directly shared by TPS with staff or the union at this time despite many requests and contractual obligations.


Click below to see how your school and schools across the district will be impacted.
If you would like more information on how you can help advocate for our students and Music, PE and Library educators,
Please click to add yourself to our advocacy group. A council representing PE, Music, and Library have been meeting since the assignments were made to gather information, rally support and determine next steps for solving this district-wide problem.

Click below to join our mailing list and be kept in the loop as the situation evolves.
Your information will not be shared without your permission.
Please include your:
  • Name
  • Building (any you have connections with)
  • Position (Staff Position, Parent, Citizen, Student)
How You Can Help
A big Thank You to those who have contacted administrators and shared information on Social Media. Keep hitting send! Click the share buttons at the bottom of the page to share this newsletter on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Contact your administrators, school board members, social media friends, local media, and talk it up with friends and colleagues. Here is a guide with TPS contact information and sample messages.
eSpecially Healthy
Many specialists are needlessly being endangered by thoughtless deployment decisions. This increases risk of infection to the specialists, their families, and the staff and students and families of everyone they serve.
Know Your Contract
Specialist Staff Survey
We are gathering information on working conditions and possible contract violations for the 2019-20 school year to be sure that these do not recur. If you are a Music, PE, or Library specialist, please complete the survey if you haven't already.
Flawed Staffing Formula
The district has not done their homework on how many classes will fit into a school day.
Staffing levels are inequitable within buildings and across the district.
Flawed Staffing Formula
TPS uses a "school score" to determine need across the district. The score is determined using socio-economic factors, test scores, and various other indicators. Moving resources to where they are most needed makes sense. Is that what happened here?
*This document is dated 6/22/2020, but we are told it was used in making deployment decisions in May.
Instruction
Specialists and students are being set up to fail. Many teachers will be starting the school year doing distance lessons with students they have never met and who they might see once a week.
What's It Like to Be Special?
A Little History...

Rod Huskey,
Boze Music Teacher

So, I was asked to write something about my experiences teaching music for Tacoma Public Schools and I have thoroughly enjoyed most of that time. During 38 years of teaching in Tacoma, I have taught at a number of elementary schools...

...The staffing of elementary music teachers has varied during the years. When I started, we had a Director and a Facilitator. That was helpful, because there was someone at the director level to advocate for us. The facilitator, who was an elementary music teacher, did the staffing. When the person doing the staffing knows the job and the people doing the job, it works much better, not perfect but better... Over the years, staffing has been done in different ways, but at the very least we should be notified of possible openings so that we can make the decision if we want that position...
TPS levels the playing field
Tacoma Specialists Advocacy Council
Krista Hitz - Library, Franklin
Maggie Ross - Music, Fernhill
Mary Letterman - Library, Geiger Montessori
Matt Wood - PE, Stafford
Megan Oberfield - Music, Browns Point
Meredith Knaupp - Library, McCarver
Paula Greuling - Music, Birney
Penny Cramer - Music, Sherman
Rhianna Bedient - PE, Whittier
Rod Huskey - Music, Boze
Roman Maunupau - Library, Lyon 
Roxane Hreha - Music, Whitman
Steve Johnson - PE, Lowell