“The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality.”
– James Baldwin
School mornings can be hectic. Every parent reading this knows the war we wake up to, especially on Mondays.
Our kids rise half an hour, if that, before school starts. The older ones are angsty and slow. The little ones are energetic and immune to words. We always win the fight to put clothes on, but it frequently looks as if we’ve lost. Our logic and reason fall on ears that don’t care, like water on stone, leaving behind scarce evidence that they even heard us. But they’ll get it eventually. Parenting is a long game, they say.
Once it’s done, though, and the kids are walking through the school doors, there is an ease that parents should feel. Knowing that my children are cared for by adults who are not me brings a sense of comfort, and even a bit of joy. They have everything they need in an environment that supports their learning. They are safe and amongst friends. Raising children in communities only makes things easier.
I’ve viewed the schools as a major part of that community. My kids spend a large part of their days there, and the staff helps me be a better father. But this year, the ease parents are supposed to feel has failed to reach me. I’m not sure if I’ve been ignorant of the facts, or if there’s actually been a change. Maybe the comfort was false, and I’m just now realizing it. The truth is likely some combination of both. Partnering with the schools has felt a lot like those Monday mornings, though. I’m still a parent, but the ears that don’t care belong to the school leadership. Parents are fighting for what we all know is right. Yet, logic and reason get dodged and blocked.
Just before this school year began, my third-grader’s class was abruptly combined with another. Administration chose to split the fourth-grade dual-language class and place half with the third-grade and the other with the fifth-grade. We were told the projected student enrollment didn’t meet the need for another fourth-grade teacher. So, the position was cut, and they created split classes, one of which began the year with 28 students.
A few schools across the district saw the addition of split classes. Of those schools, they mostly have one such class—a few have two. My children attend Blix Elementary, where there are three split classes. If this surprises you, consider that we are a Title One school on the Eastside of Tacoma. If corners are going to be cut and education is going to be gambled, it’s going to happen here. The moment the district chose to fix their budget issues by not renewing staff and support contracts—and increasing the pay of those at the top—we knew what was coming our way.
A few schools across the district saw the addition of split classes. Of those schools, they mostly have one such class—a few have two. My children attend Blix Elementary, where there are three split classes. If this surprises you, consider that we are a Title One school on the Eastside of Tacoma. If corners are going to be cut and education is going to be gambled, it’s going to happen here.
The school year began, and my child’s class is struggling. The teacher can only divide their attention so many ways, and there are too many kids. When one half of the class is being taught, the other is unattended. Staying engaged becomes almost impossible, and the class spirals, which is to be expected for eight and nine-year-olds.
The kids are feeling the brunt of these decisions. Their grades, self-esteem, and mental health are worsening. Multiple parents have reported that their children no longer want to go to school. You may think that’s common for kids, but not like this. On more than one occasion, my child said that they wished they “weren’t alive anymore,” so they wouldn’t get in trouble at school. These weren’t one-off statements either. The trademark depression that precedes those thoughts is present. Healthy settings and friendships usually keep those monsters away, but relationships are failing too. Needs aren’t being met across the board.
One of the selling points of the dual-language program at Blix was the cohort structure. Classmates would stay together and build an environment that felt comfortable and familiar. For three years, things went well. The kids came to love each other. The teachers were responsive to the students’ needs. They have been, and still are, phenomenal leaders in the classroom. Everyone flourished in the cohort model. Then the district tore apart the fourth-grade cohort to save money, which also shook the third and fifth-graders. Now our children are suffering. Teachers are suffering. And the district is supporting no one. It’s as if the good experiences don’t matter when decisions are made. Expecting leadership to maximize the positives and minimize the negatives is reasonable. That’s what a partner to the parents would do. But, as I said, this year has felt like those Monday mornings.
When we first received the email about the classes combining, the principal and district said they planned “to support the 3-4/4-5 Dual Language teams with whatever they need for success.” After a couple of months, the parents got together and asked that paraeducators be added to the classes. Teaching two different curricula in two languages to two classes at once is a tall task for our teachers. Supporting them with another dedicated adult would directly benefit our children and ease the problems the teachers are facing. But our requests for support have been blatantly refused.
Parents volunteered in the class to help. For some reason, Principal Cruckshank saw this as a threat. She told us we were spying on her staff and even framed our parent group chat as being created to bully the teachers. Our efforts to support our children have been stomped out at every turn. This shouldn’t be happening in the Pacific Northwest, a bastion of progressiveness and community, or at least that’s what we tell ourselves.
Maybe these are the true wishes of Dr. Garcia as the superintendent. Maybe this is what he wants from those under his leadership. He should know the responses we’ve received don’t feel too far removed from the antics of our government. Underserved communities are constantly under attack across the nation; it seems they are in Tacoma, too. To further underserve them is a choice, especially when you’ve promised help.
Principal Cruckshank knows this. If you ask her, she’ll tell you she purposely chose Blix because of its community. She purports to care for them, but the program that specifically serves Spanish speakers is under-resourced. A teaching position at her school was removed, and she doesn’t seem to be fighting to get it back. She doesn’t even support our push for paras. This program serves fewer students. Families whose first language is Spanish have attempted to enroll and been turned away. If Blix had a fourth-grade teacher, this program could grow or at least maintain. Leadership across all levels is choosing to do this.
The world knows how President Trump feels about Spanish speakers. Tacoma Public Schools may feel the same way. History will not be kind to our President, nor should we be to anyone who harbors those views. To say it’s a shame that Dr. Garcia and those under his leadership would tie themselves to such an ideology is a sickening understatement. It’s a gash on the image Tacoma Public Schools presents to this city. They act as a detriment not only to our children and community, but to humanity.
I can’t say I’m surprised, though. My child’s class began this year overloaded. According to the current teacher’s contract, only twenty-four students are allowed per class. It wasn’t until mid-January that the number of students had fallen to twenty-three. The district had no hand in this, at least not directly.
Some students left the dual-language program altogether. The stress wasn’t worth the benefit of learning another language for some families. The other children who left didn’t actually leave. They were deported, which left a massive void. Heavy hearts persist in the classroom. I can’t even imagine how the ones who were taken are feeling.
Some students left the dual-language program altogether. The stress wasn’t worth the benefit of learning another language for some families. The other children who left didn’t actually leave. They were deported, which left a massive void. Heavy hearts persist in the classroom. I can’t even imagine how the ones who were taken are feeling.
Having students leave your program isn’t a win, nor is having your third and fourth-grade students get kidnapped by the government. These are signs that help is needed on multiple fronts. A district that makes decisions based solely on numbers would see benefits in this situation. They may admit the events are unfortunate, but the systemic alignment of ideologies remains evident. These are the ears that don’t care.
The parents from the dual language classes met with Scott Rich, the Chief of Schools, a couple of weeks ago. We shared our perspectives before receiving an email denying us paras. Our stories and concerns were merely anecdotal to him. He fell back on funding, class sizes, and blamed the very teacher’s contract that the district was in breach of earlier this year.
Our children are numbers to them; nothing more than bodies to fill their schools. They hope students leave the class like an airline that intentionally overbooked its flights, except there are no consolations here. TPS should never call itself a district that cares about children. All their talk about caring for the “whole child” falls flat. We brought up our kids’ mental health. They didn’t care. We told Scott our children no longer want to attend a school he champions. He brushed it off. When he heard that teachers—his own employees—were even struggling with the current arrangement, he was unmoved. I can’t even say for certain that he really listened to us; there was no evidence of it. The total well-being of our kids isn’t a factor to him, just the numbers. Water on stone.
My kids are big readers. I often have to take books from them at midnight to get them to go to sleep. The ensuing morning is usually a special kind of rough.
We don’t live far from the school, maybe five minutes. My kids know this. They think we can always get there in time. Even when I stand by the door and whisper through my teeth, “The school opens at eight fifty-five,” they don’t care. I’ll gesture towards a clock flashing “8:53.” They aren’t moved. Maybe it’s time I wrote stories for them to understand, although I could imagine a case where they view the lesson as simply anecdotal.
My son’s teacher has called me for help during class. They didn’t go to the office to call either; they called directly from the classroom. I heard the students in the background while they asked me what to do with my child. No kids were being taught while we spoke; maybe a para would have helped here.
I have only gotten two or three of these calls this year, but one is enough to raise an alarm. I don’t think the principal or district even knows this happened, though they should. Maybe Superintendent Josh Garcia knows. He helped balance the TPS budget last year by getting rid of educational support staff, like paras. He makes nearly half a million dollars per year, so I would think it safe to assume he’d have some knowledge of what was going on in the classrooms if his salary is that high while actively removing jobs.
Principal Cruckshank is an active administrator. She should know if her teachers are struggling enough to call parents during class. In fact, Principal Cruckshank was the first person to encourage the parents to bring our concerns to the district. This was before she decided to oppose our children, which is concerning. What would be more concerning is if both the superintendent and principal are reading this anecdotal evidence for the first time along with you.
There’s a school board meeting today, February 26th. I wish I had published this sooner. I could have encouraged you to be present and speak for all of the children in Tacoma. Another group of parents from Sheridan Elementary will be there to advocate for creating a dual language program at Stewart Middle School, as was promised by Tacoma Public Schools some years ago. If you couldn’t tell, they aren’t living up to their word on that front either.
The Blix parents don’t just stand in solidarity with the Sheridan parents; we fight by their side for what’s right, for all of our children. Solidarity, when wielded correctly, is active. It sweeps wide to gather everyone under its cover. So while I may wish that I had published this sooner, I’m glad I didn’t. The actions that follow this meeting are the most meaningful.
The Blix parents don’t just stand in solidarity with the Sheridan parents; we fight by their side for what’s right, for all of our children. Solidarity, when wielded correctly, is active. It sweeps wide to gather everyone under its cover.
Every school board meeting should be filled with parents advocating for our children, all of our children. I understand our daily schedules keep us occupied, but we will take any parents we can get. I even need to show up more. If you can’t be there, you can also watch online. Meetings occur on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month. They begin at 6 p.m.
The Chief of Schools and any principal who shares his lack of care should have a calendar full of meetings with concerned parents. If our evidence won’t move their needles, maybe having them repeat their lack of care for our children will thaw their hearts.
The Blix parents are asking the district to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Teachers Union so that we can add paras to our classes. I’d be shocked if the union is against that. Actually, I know they support it. Advocate for your children and teachers, too. Talk to the other parents at your school, and find out who the district plans to leave behind. It will often be those deemed less than by our morally bankrupt society. Write essays and letters that shout the truth loudly. Tacoma is too strong to let that happen without a real fight.
Blix needs paras, now, this year. We can’t wait for next year. The district has time to plan for next year, and we shouldn’t find ourselves in any situation remotely close to our current one. If we do, I hope those currently working at the district find themselves a different job. Balance the inevitable budget deficit for the next school year with the highest salaries. Hire staff to serve the children. Find people who care more about kids and less about expensive retreats and vacation homes.
One last thing. I know retaliation is real, as is placing blame incorrectly, so let me be extremely clear: the teacher I spoke of should not have their job at risk. This mess is not their fault. Not only are they good at what they do, but they haven’t been supported by the district, one that would fire them to save their manicured image rather than make the simple and reasonable accommodation asked, provide split classes with paras. Plus, the evidence is anecdotal, right?
This teacher is one of many who deserve assistance. Our children are worthy of care and help. We need paras.
Professional Development Center “PDC” Building C
6501 N. 23rd St.
Tacoma, WA 98406
Read a letter to the editor response here.
