Tensions were high at Woodland’s School board Thursday night.
Teachers, students and parents from across the district piled into the board room, wearing crimson t-shirts emblazoned with the words “Woodland Education Association”.
They posted signs that read, “Supporting teachers supports students” and “A fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work” before taking the podium to speak to the board about requesting more than the two percent pay increase that has been proposed.
After two people spoke, the board gave a group of nine twenty minutes to speak collectively, with many asking for a six-percent pay increase.
Mary Buck led the group of around 200 people in a chant of “we the teachers” when she spoke of the issues facing the district, such as dedicating hours without pay, teaching Common Core subjects and compensation that has been cut over the last eight years.
Parent Kim Bryan told trustees she supports a fair pay increase.
She is concerned that, if things don’t improve, teachers will leave the district for greener pastures.
“We love our teachers here immensely,” she said.
School psychologist Diane Duncan, who has been working in the district for 21 years, asked the board to look at the pay and benefits structure, which received a big cheer from the crowd.
She said her department was forced to cut two positions but was able to restore one. She wants to be able to restore the other one and fully restored funding.
According to Duncan, there has been an increase of 121 kids in special education since last year.
“We’ve had an explosion in preschool of autism cases,” she said.
Meanwhile, math teacher Lucy Postlewaite said she has seen more than 20 math instructors come and go and that the teachers in the district do not receive good health benefits.
“We come to school sick because it’s easier for everyone than not showing up,” she said.
She said their current offer is not acceptable and “insulting.”
Public comment concluded with Joshua Holloway, who stood in the back of a previous board meeting, silently holding a sign reading “why should I stay?”
On Thursday, Holloway took a different approach, stating when he started teaching and coaching at Pioneer High School eight years ago, he envisioned retiring there. Now, he is seriously considering going elsewhere, if things don’t approve.
“Again, I ask you, why should I stay?” he asked.
When they finished, all board members expressed a strong interest in hearing what the group was saying and trying to come to a reasonable solution.
Many of them expressed concern that this is something they inherited and they want to devote time to looking at the issue.
However, board member Cirenio Rodriguez expressed concern that two percent was not the correct figure and the group should get their facts straight. He did not give the correct figure during his report.
Board member Morgan Childers became emotional when he told a story about himself as a young boy while his parents were going through a divorce while he was in middle school.
“I was broken in half,” he said.
Two teachers who knew about the divorce saw him drifting and asked him to stay and talk after school one day.
“I needed that,” he said.
Those two teachers provided support and helped him get through it and the things they did changed his direction in life.
“I hope we can do something to make everybody in this room happy,” he said.
Contact Tessa Terrill at 530-406-6232.
