[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6200399,"mediaKeyId","3814009-d14566a156a8ccfcb16c9c3ed414de85","parentId",3814009,"title","Board approves multiple contracts, joint‑use agreements and a custodians’ contract; consent agenda passes","audioSeconds",508,"startMs",5970000,"endMs",6478000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3814009-d14566a156a8ccfcb16c9c3ed414de85&start=5970&end=6478","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3814009-d14566a156a8ccfcb16c9c3ed414de85/thumbnail_5970000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6200399/Washington/Board-approves-multiple-contracts-jointuse-agreements-and-a-custodians-contract-consent-agenda-passes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6200399-c972676c00c0bf63ea1bf7abc12b50c1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770985371&Signature=dHUcbiuojPkjbHY0cuxMtqYYcHn7C8gyYngaah4fNqqlbkKV4wmLiO0XKoeIicNiAr4bF9ZvIl9fLE5tjP892juA~La6lHSTzp8nRQuy~cY3R0r3BlRWSh097reghjFNXrbV8oN-ZWWtznIZAX9s6j1W2eHqj1rqu3fBQkizrpaJdsYbURBWWqmet-uNGeN5tpTx2rqHKhHPUwqjxade01Gz-z5NgnIf~5jN2ptMZWxhyspIaaX-qw8noYiO7hW2xwAhAqbKfN3-sxhiAuLcNSxy8MNQWSiiOSuVROJYQXsPdFMF8bHqX34cMqxuYXRK8dJqp5xcp9LFSS7CN2901w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Tacoma School District, WA","date","2025-06-13T15:44:28Z","article","The Tacoma School District board approved a series of contracts and agreements during its June business meeting and ratified a three‑year collective bargaining agreement with custodial staff.

The board approved the consent agenda by voice vote. The board then voted to approve several contracts and agreements as presented by staff, including technology and construction items and an allocation for the South Puget Sound Maritime Skills Center.

Key actions and outcomes (voice or roll‑call votes as noted):

- Contract TSD‑20‑140 amendment 2 (synchronous deployment and legacy services) for 09/01/2025–08/31/2026, in the amount of $739,832.92 (technology levy fund). Motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote.

- Contract TSD‑25‑116 (Zayo telecommunications services) for 07/01/2025–06/30/2028, amount $235,052 (technology/general fund). Motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote.

- Contract TSD‑25‑100 (America’s Automotive Trust) for initial planning of the Regional Robotics Center, 05/15/2025–01/07/2026. Motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote. (Amount not specified in the presentation.)

- Contract TSD‑24‑058 amendments 2 and 3 (Port of Tacoma joint‑use agreement for South Puget Sound Maritime Skills Center) in the amount of $5,500,000; term shown as 06/07/2024–06/06/2074 (long‑term land/lease commitments). Motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote.

- Approval to negotiate and award a design‑build contract to Korsmo Construction Company (synthetic fields, tracks and tennis court upgrades — bundle of 16 sites), project amount $45,000,000. Motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote.

- Joint‑use agreement with the City of Tacoma to construct and maintain a multi‑use play field at Boerne Elementary. Motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote.

- Ratification of the 2025–2028 collective bargaining agreement between Tacoma School District No. 10 and the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 302 (custodians). Trustees conducted a roll‑call vote and recorded affirmative votes from members present; the agreement was ratified.

Board staff noted that each contract used distinct funding sources and reminded the public that certain funds cannot be repurposed for general operations. Several trustees thanked community partners, including the City of Tacoma and the Port of Tacoma, for collaborative projects.

Items presented as first readings — including policy updates on harassment, intimidation and bullying and related civil‑rights–related policies — were not subject to a vote at this meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","June 12, 2025 TPS Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","At the meeting the board approved technology and facilities contracts, design‑build awards, a joint‑use field agreement and ratified a custody bargaining agreement; the consent agenda was adopted by voice vote.","taxTitle","Tacoma School District, School Districts, Washington","taxId",14628,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6200405,"Parents and staff urge Tacoma schools to restore Montessori assistants and peer‑inclusion preschool",617,2386000,3003000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3814009-d14566a156a8ccfcb16c9c3ed414de85&start=2386&end=3003","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3814009-d14566a156a8ccfcb16c9c3ed414de85/thumbnail_2386000.jpg","/articles/6200405/Washington/Parents-and-staff-urge-Tacoma-schools-to-restore-Montessori-assistants-and-peerinclusion-preschool","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6200405-0029402ddced39604a2cd2233badc7cb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770985371&Signature=Wa4T2hYsirgNGHl6eAqkiCJbWlVHO4FyGHXgsJuhdEwTLdlS695~Pwq30lQc4Rt9Wz7X8DCtXo8StXdQGNqJaIJoN2Qb3E7eRk1USrYqOeoAE4hwcR9NdwZPu~4y64pgJt4jQJG8Dd~V~GTUGpoJ-St7mJMMcf5nJY-727rf92zoiqxRxl2IeFGoQ7dydku1ahoFIlJdbsfOzjw0R6zBotvoMe07X7vVYyA0cuGH7deyyvYzp-SpqfTejAMl4v-SXvTKMeEcxMtQBZ4y4hlxZX~f~GxK5V6aLhfUdyeodCWH6kWS8xjhwFrmhzQAoRO2B~nu5vv4NfPXqNmb~JAXlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A large group of parents, paraeducators, teachers and students used the meeting’s public comment period to urge the Tacoma School District board to reverse recent workforce reductions affecting Montessori classrooms and peer‑inclusion preschool programs.

“Please do not cut our assistants. We need them,” said second grader Etta Franklin during public comment; several other students and parents read letters and spoke directly to trustees about the role classroom assistants play in Montessori classrooms.

Multiple speakers described Montessori as a staffing‑intensive method that relies on two adults in the room. “Montessori education depends on having a full teaching team,” said Michelle Austin, PTA president at Geiger, citing nine Montessori assistants lost at Geiger and a closed transitional kindergarten class. Liz Walley, a paraeducator, addressed board remarks about staffing decisions: “So you sign off on each of these devastating cuts. The people who elected you deserve better than the constant rubber stamping that we're getting from the board.”

Several special‑education parents and staff also warned against planned changes to early childhood peer‑inclusion programming. A school psychologist on the district’s preschool team said the district planned to eliminate inclusive preschool and reduce hours from 10 weekly hours to 3 hours of a playgroup format; she said that parents had not been surveyed and that district data do not show families requesting shorter programs.

Speakers described direct classroom effects: paraeducators and building ESPs who de‑escalate behavioral incidents, supervise lunch and recess, support individual students with IEPs or 504 plans and deliver one‑on‑one instruction. “When children decide to leave the classroom, another adult is able to stay with the child keeping them safe. Safety is priority,” one parent said, recounting instances where an ESP de‑escalated a scissors‑throwing incident.

Board members listened and thanked speakers. Trustees reiterated they will continue to examine budget options, placement plans and future opportunities to preserve positions; they reiterated the district’s stated commitment to maintaining its two public Montessori programs but did not announce reversals or immediate restorations.

Speakers who identified themselves by role included Montessori parents, paraeducators, a school psychologist, an ESP who described classroom work and multiple students who read letters. Many asked the board to reconsider cuts they said would make Montessori “in name only” if assistants are not restored.","Dozens of public commenters — including students, paraeducators and parents from Geiger Montessori — pleaded with the board to reverse cuts to Montessori assistants and inclusive preschool settings, saying the changes would undermine the Montessori model and student supports.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6200409,"Tacoma Public Schools projects tens of millions shortfall; dozens of staff displaced",713,919000,1632000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3814009-d14566a156a8ccfcb16c9c3ed414de85&start=919&end=1632","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3814009-d14566a156a8ccfcb16c9c3ed414de85/thumbnail_919000.jpg","/articles/6200409/Washington/Tacoma-Public-Schools-projects-tens-of-millions-shortfall-dozens-of-staff-displaced","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6200409-ba6b70a1e55034cb18e7f5835bedbb20/orig.mp4?Expires=1770985371&Signature=mu~H1ppEq9yLQPhv1v-MrkCkTpQr4CO0XBb-93bdiuMBlST6xxy0Y9VQ~PCkErf26PAPlGXjieSiwcGMUQvpAFmG3ZOBDSENn6NVGML3fItccEXF3jV~Eag4Q9Fsd42nDE0rMhz1A7RUPSNfY1UJX4kcKmPajon5-eQ3YzLjAzsMN57xb1uWukwbDg9AwuJhii24nbA~7a4eQ3LNZWrqcKdWoPnvM9oyKZ47Kqa6xQUfK1~agtZ5STCOLJ-9ne77U0-w8q~Pe8d~HoIcQajVKp5tZy4cyz3je1plv4sCC8IN6NwNJZyukDny0lrptP8mrhlTQS5o3ap3vx3zZiPXKw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kari Kapman, the district director of strategic financial operations, told the Tacoma School District board at its June business meeting that the district is projecting a budget gap driven by lower revenues and higher expenses.

“We have a total of about $706,000,000 that we manage through that, of which $578,000,000 goes through our general fund,” Kapman said. She told the board projected revenues for the year are $564 million — about $14 million below budget — while projected expenditures are about $579 million, roughly $6 million over budget. Kapman said the district’s board-directed reserve level of 5 percent is expected to fall to near zero at year end.

The shortfall is the latest step in a multi-year financial squeeze the district traced to state funding changes tied to the McCleary-era funding landscape, local enrollment stability and expected cuts to some federal grants. Kapman told trustees the district has eliminated administrative positions in recent years and identified program reductions to close gaps; she said recent federal grant reductions include a $2.6 million cut to a multi‑year mental‑health grant.

Staffing lead Steven Diedrich provided the board with specific personnel impacts tied to the budget and to school reassignments. He said 107 certificated staff have been displaced so far, of whom 65 have been placed and 42 remained to be placed beginning the next day. He said 105 provisional certificated staff were non‑renewed and would be considered for hire once displaced current employees were placed and the 2025‑26 budget was finalized.

For education support professionals (ESPs), Diedrich said 132 staff had been displaced and 57 had been placed into new MTSS ESP positions; he said the district was working to place 10 more displaced ESPs under a memorandum of understanding with union leadership. For the district’s other hourly/professional groups, Diedrich said 34 were displaced and 20 already had new assignments. “This results in a transfer from one school to another for the certificated staff members that are impacted,” he said.

Kapman and Diedrich briefed the board on next steps: awaiting the final state budget, assessing federal funding changes, continuing internal placement efforts and holding budget hearings and potential adoption later this summer. Kapman said the district is looking for other revenue and grant opportunities but cautioned there are legal restrictions on fund uses across the district’s six fund “checkbooks.”

Public commenters at the meeting — many parents, paraeducators and Montessori families — urged the board to preserve ESP positions and certain programs; their remarks are captured in a separate article. Several board members thanked staff and community members and described plans to continue outreach as the district finalizes the 2025‑26 budget.

The district scheduled a public hearing on the proposed 2025‑26 budget and tentative adoption steps at upcoming board meetings.","District finance director told the school board the general fund is forecast to end the year below targeted reserves; a staffing update said 107 certificated and 132 education support professionals have been displaced so far.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board approves multiple contracts, joint‑use agreements and a custodians’ contract; consent agenda passes

Parents and staff urge Tacoma schools to restore Montessori assistants and peer‑inclusion preschool

Tacoma Public Schools projects tens of millions shortfall; dozens of staff displaced