Washington Elementary board rejects teacher-on-special-assignment job description

The Washington Elementary School District Governing Board voted July 24 to reject a proposed job description to create a "teacher on special assignment" (TOSA) position intended to give the district more flexibility to reassign teachers across campuses.

Board Vice President Lindsey Peterson moved to not approve the job description, and the motion passed after discussion and a roll-call vote recorded as in favor. The board earlier pulled the item from the consent agenda for separate consideration.

Supporters in district administration, including Doctor Stewart in human resources and Interim Superintendent Doctor Hightower, said the TOSA title would provide a tool to keep educators on campus while filling short-term gaps, such as extended leaves or imbalanced enrollment, and to avoid hiring outside substitutes. Doctor Stewart said the TOSA could allow a teacher to "work…