With the first day of the 2024-25 school year less than one week away, teacher contract negotiations between the Yelm Community Schools (YCS) administration and the Yelm Education Association (YEA) are ongoing.
Members of the YEA, donning red shirts with phrases such as “Educators Rock” and “YEA Stronger Together” flocked to the district office for the Thursday, Aug. 22, Board of Directors meeting and packed the board room so tightly that dozens had to watch from outside the door or by sitting on the floor.
Six YEA members took to the podium demanding the school board and Superintendent Chris Woods agree on a new contract as the current three-year contract approved in September 2021 will expire on Aug. 31. The district is also negotiating with the Public School Employees classified staff bargaining group.
YEA Co-President Kathryn Cullum accused the district of not living up to one of its five board goals as part of its strategic plan, which reads, “We will recruit and retain a committed and highly trained workforce.”
“Having a committed and highly trained workforce is what is best for students. They need consistency. They need relationships with their teachers and the staff, and they need highly trained teachers to learn from,” Cullum said. “To do this, we are asking that you, the school board, direct Superintendent Woods and the bargaining team to ensure that the state allocated funds, regionalization and cost of living adjustments be used to fairly compensate certificated staff for the work that is expected of them.”
Jessica Aranyos, a teacher in the district, urged the school board for a new and equitable contract for teachers, counselors and other certificated support staff.
“Our educators are the backbone of our schools. They’re the ones who create curiosity, foster creativity and instill values that will guide our students throughout their lives,” Aranyos said. “Counselors, too, play a pivotal role in our students’ development. They provide critical support that goes beyond academics, addressing emotional and social needs and helping students navigate their path through school and beyond.”
Aranyos told the directors that they have a “fundamental responsibility” to represent the Yelm community and ensure accountability to the community’s priorities. She asked them if they were aware that the proposals created by cuts related to the loss of levy funds would reduce students’ access to essential subjects and a “well-rounded education that fosters their full development.”
“Have you asked district leadership what is holding up these crucial contract negotiations? Do these proposals truly represent the most effective learning environment for the children of Yelm?” Aranyos asked. “And more importantly, do these proposals truly represent the Yelm Community Schools vision of a safe, student-centered and collaborative learning environment for our students and staff? With the start of the school year less than two weeks away, the urgency of our situation could not be more clear.”
Matt Mounts, a Yelm High School teacher and FFA adviser, said the district’s current situation is the toughest he’s seen in his 25 years in the Yelm community. He compared his job as a science teacher to the task that district leadership has in meeting criteria for teachers and staff.
“In science, my job is to teach the next generation science standards, to get students to compare all proposals, to meet all criteria and constraints for all variables. This is not easy,” Mounts said. “If we’re asking our students to successfully do it, we surely can, too.”
Mounts called on the school board to embrace the word “community” in Yelm Community Schools and to keep the children’s confidence and success in the classroom in mind.
“Community is what makes us unique, different and special. It has kept me here for 25 years, no matter what bigger opportunities came my way,” Mounts said. “These kids need upbeat educators to help them forget about the negatives and give them the hope and confidence they need to be successful.”
Liz Laughlin-McCloskey, an elementary educator and parent, requested that the school board and district leadership maintain a district where employees want to work and parents want to bring their children.
“We want to retain our educators and not give them a reason to leave. We don’t want the grass to be greener on the other side,” Laughlin-McCloskey said.
She also addressed some of the biggest concerns that educators and students are facing in the current climate.
“Class size is one of the biggest concerns that is on our minds this year. We will not be meeting state guidelines. Currently, all grade levels are [seeing] increasing student numbers,” Laughlin-McCloskey said. “As educators, we know it’s difficult to meet all the needs of all the students. Having extra kids in our classroom makes it even more difficult. Since our COVID [pandemic], we have faced so many more challenges. Our kids have less independence. They depend on us a lot more.”
Laughlin-McCloskey said she could have up to 25 kindergartners this year, which she said would not allow her to make connections with students and would be less efficient.
“My daughter and son deserve teachers who are valued and they feel like they belong,” she said. “I ask you, elected officials, to urge Chris [Woods] to do the right thing: to reach an agreement to fix these issues that are affecting our students and our staff.”
Noelle Porter, a YHS student, offered the school board a student’s perspective on how the cuts and ongoing negotiations have affected the student body.
“I’m addressing from the eyes of the students who have been repeatedly overlooked by our school. We have lost many of our mentors, friends and teachers, and these people aren’t as often recognized by the community because they don’t have large titles,” Porter said. “Our concert pianist with the Yelm High School choir is gone, and she was a very large part of our program. She gave us strength, confidence and showed us kindness and compassion. We’ve lost all three of our advisors and directors in the theater program. We’re all afraid of what’s going to happen because we have no answers.”
Woods said after the meeting that the district will meet with bargaining groups throughout the week and expects to have news on the negotiations by the end of the week.
