Staff Development

Tahoma School District teachers and classroom support staff will participate in five Early Release Staff Development sessions and five full-day training sessions held on waiver days during this school year. To find the early release and waiver days, please see the district calendar.

The training will focus on specific goals at each school as well as district-wide goals to improve student achievement. The school district’s philosophy is to help teachers and support staff add to their skills and knowledge so that students benefit.

The school district does not have money in its budget to pay for staff training outside the 182-day contract that teachers and support staff work under. Instead, the district is using five early release days and five full waiver (non-student) days for training. The Tahoma School Board approved a staff development training plan that reduces the number of instructional days from 180 to 175. Students do not attend classes on the five days waived by the state but teachers and other staff are required to attend day-long training sessions designed to improve student learning.   

The state Board of Education approved the waiver days. A growing number of school districts in the state are requesting waiver days for staff training. The training is over and above continuing education that teachers and other staff members must do on their own time to meet state requirements.  We are currently in the last year for our waiver application.  We have applied to the state for three waiver days each year for the next three years.  The rules have changed and three is the maximum allowed number of waiver days that can be requested.   

Tahoma School District has increased staff development training in order to meet the district's goal of providing students with 21st Century learning skills and knowledge.