Community Education

From the first day of school to the last, they hold it all together

Posted on September 3rd, 2024 By: Christina T Henry

It’s 9:30 a.m. Sept. 3, at Voyager Elementary School. The 2024-25 school year is less than an hour old. Office secretary Juli Williams has already wrangled the torrent of excited students pouring through the doors, directing kids to their classrooms, answering parents’ questions, helping one bewildered boy figure out who his teacher is this year.

The halls are quiet now, but Williams is still busy assisting a line of parents with yet more questions or forms to submit. Every few minutes, she mans the front door intercom to screen visitors and buzz them in. All this time, she juggles a walkie-talkie that crackles with messages to be dealt with or relayed, a landline phone, a command-module-sized computer screen and lists: digital lists, paper lists, lists of lists, who’s riding the bus home, who goes to parent pick-up, new students, new teachers, today’s lunch count.

Voyager Elementary School office secretary Juli Williams assists a parent on the first day of school, Sept. 3, 2024. Williams is one of Peninsula School District’s classified staff whose jobs support classroom instruction. Photo by Christina T. Henry

Someone’s car is dead in the parking lot. Williams calls maintenance to give them a jump. An energy drink sits by the walkie-talkie. She gets a sip in when she can.

Support staff by the numbers

Williams is one of Peninsula School District’s roughly 360 classified staff members who support the work of teachers in the classroom.

The list includes clerical staff, lunch ladies, bus drivers and mechanics, custodians, paraeducators, health techs who staff the nurse’s office, maintenance personnel and other support personnel. The 360 are “full-time-equivalent” positions, including many who work part-time.

“We couldn’t do it without them,” said Kathy Johnson, an art teacher at Voyager. “They save us. They are invaluable to what makes our school run.”

A chalk drawing welcomes students to Voyager Elementary School on the first day of school, Sept. 3, 2024. Photo by Christina T. Henry

Positions restored in budget

Peninsula School District this year restored the full-time-equivalent of 20 classified positions that were eliminated or had hours reduced as part of a painful $12 million in budget cuts for 2023-24. Classified and administrative staffing took the brunt of cuts, which district leaders said were designed to deflect a direct hit to classroom instruction.

The district this year employs 641 FTE certificated teaching staff, including instructional support teachers, down by seven positions from last year.

Within this year’s projected budget, just shy of $160 million, teachers’ salaries (exclusive of benefits) total $73.7 million and make up around 45 % of the budget. Classified salaries total $27.7 million and make up around 17 percent of the budget.

Parents and staff cheer for students arriving to Voyager Elementary School on the first day of school, Sept. 3, 2024. Photo by Christina T. Henry

A day in the life

Bus driver Kelli Harrison offloaded students at Voyager Tuesday morning with a smile on her face despite having gotten up at 4 a.m., as she does every school day. A 13-year veteran driver for PSD, Harrison described what she loves about her job.

“The kids. The kids are the best part, especially my returning kids,” she said. “I love the days. I love everything. My schedule, the weather. The kids are the best part.”

Harrison clocks in at 6 a.m. to cover routes for three schools: Gig Harbor High School, Kopachuck Middle School and Voyager. She works a split shift, getting off at 9:20 a.m. after the morning routes.

“I’m back on at 1:30 and off at 4:30, but this week we’re longer hours so we can get everything dialed in,” she said.

Bus driver Kelli Harrison works a split shift, covering routes that serve Gig Harbor High School, Kopachuck Middle School and Voyager Elementary School. Harrison is one of Peninsula School District’s classified staff whose jobs support classroom instruction. Photo by Christina T. Henry

‘Every day is different’

Williams has been Voyager’s school secretary for four years. Before that, she was a paraeducator, assisting students with disabilities or who need extra instructional help.

She described her current job as follows, “There’s a lot of customer service, speaking to parents, speaking to kids, speaking to people on their level,” she said.

Voyager Elementary School office secretary Juli Williams reaches for her energy drink while answering the phone on the first day of school, Sept. 3, 2024. Williams is one of Peninsula School District’s classified staff whose jobs support classroom instruction. Photo by Christina T. Henry

The multi-tasking wasn’t something she was particularly trained for. It just comes naturally.

“I’m one of those kids that didn’t sit well as a child, and this just works for me,” she said. “I love doing it.”

Sometimes, at the end of the day, Williams admits, she’s exhausted.

“Other days, I’m ready to keep going,” she said. “It really depends on the day. Every day here is different. There’s not ever a day that is a carbon copy of the one before.”

Voyager Elementary student Wesley Tucker exits the bus and heads to class on the first day of school, Sept. 3, 2024. Photo by Christina T. Henry