Superintendent Art Jarvis and Teacher Union President Andy Coons invite parents and community members to attend one of two forums to share their thoughts on ways to ensure their children get a quality education.
The forums are Jan. 6 and Jan. 20 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Lincoln High School cafeteria.
The forums are part of a Teacher Quality Listening Tour that the Superintendent and Union President are conducting to get valuable input that will influence bargaining that begins in the spring for the next union contract.
The forums will allow stakeholders with an interest in teacher quality to share their expertise, views and suggestions. During the forum, a moderator will ask a series of questions, including:
- What’s the most effective and fairest way for to link a teacher’s evaluation to student performance?
- What district support or professional development do teachers need the most to perform better in the classroom?
- What more can the district do to encourage flexibility, creativity and innovation for schools and teachers?
- Traditionally, seniority and advanced degrees have been used to determine a teacher’s compensation. If we want to alter that formula, what types of criteria would be best for Tacoma schools to use to determine compensation for teachers?
- What criteria would you like to see used to determine how teachers are assigned to school assignments, meaning how teachers are assigned to specific schools? And should the criteria be different in high needs/low performing schools?
Parents and community members can attend either forum -- Jan. 6 or Jan. 20 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Lincoln High School located at 701 S. 37th St., Tacoma.
Anyone who can't attend but would like to share thoughts on the teacher quality questions can visit the district Web site at tacomaschools.org and click on the link titled Teacher Quality Initiative. For more information, call the Public Information Office at 253-571-1015.