Tuesday Tidbit
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Hello and happy last week of school!
We hope this finds you safe and well! Last week, we said farewell to our seniors, and this week we are wrapping up a historic school year. Please know we are thinking of each of you and a tremendous thank you to our teachers and our Teaching and Learning Department for the outstanding work you have done to continue learning opportunities for students since the closure. It is hard to believe that was nine weeks ago!
COVID-19 has certainly changed the short-term operations of the District, but it has not changed the WSD's long-term needs. We encourage everyone to spread the word about Props C&S and if you live in the District, please exercise your right to vote on June 2. All the details can be found on the WSD website, but here are a few nuggets of information for you to consider today:
Missing Layers of Staff
The WSD has over 2,500 dedicated staff who are committed to serving the needs of our students. Did you know that at least 200 of those staff members are WSD graduates? They are loyal and hard-working and like all staff across the District, they are asked to do more with less every year because of the District’s continued growth and because we have had to devote time and resources to new construction in order to accommodate hundreds of new students each year.
The District has grown so fast for so long, the result is missing layers of staff and a growing gap in salaries compared to neighboring school districts. The WSD has not had an increase in the operating tax rate for salaries and staffing since 2004 and our tax rates that are dedicated to staffing and salaries are the lowest in the county. Since that time, the WSD has added over 8,600 students (nearly doubled in size) and built nine new schools.
Proposition S is a $0.49 tax levy increase to address the need for additional staff to support students and to address the need to increase pay for employees across the District in order to stay competitive and attract and retain highly qualified staff. We are proud and honored to hire our own graduates and we want ALL employees to have the support they need and pay that is commensurate with other districts. Here is a shout out to just a few of our outstanding employees who are also WSD grads…but we want to thank each and every one of you for what you do day in and day out to make the WSD an outstanding school district as well as a warm and caring community!
Frequently Asked Questions
Staff Shout Out
Summer Work Hours
For all 12-month employees, please see the summer schedule/10-hour workweek memo from Human Resources. Thank you!