The Tucson Waldorf School Town Hall Meeting on November 23rd (the first held in many years) was presented by the Board of Directors and Parent Council. Moderated by Parent Council Board Representative Hilary Moses, a full house sat attentive to the panel of speakers, which opened with a verse used by the Board to close their meetings. The panel was introduced, and Board President Nate Byerley and Treasurer Billy Hayes provided a brief overview of the financial health of the school, and discussed the intention, mission, and expected structure of the Town Hall.
Questions submitted prior to the Town Hall included but were not limited to:
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Are there other ways that families can reduce tuition besides ALF, IBE, AWSF and, given the timing of response from STOs, might we be able to consider a second time to apply for aid?
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It is the perception of the greater Tucson community that Waldorf is not socio-economically diverse enough IN addition , it is not racially diverse. Does TWS have a solution for addressing these concerns or educating our community about scholarships?
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This question was stirred during the meeting with Amy Bird: In regards to financial aid and diversity, what is it we are trying to achieve… rather than jumping in to create in-house aid, are we first looking at why and what before looking at how? Perhaps the first thing we need to conquer is how to keep families here who are already attending
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Is our curriculum culturally diverse?
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How does the Pedagogy Director influence and support the college of teachers.
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How is classroom culture such as discipline managed, and how is dress code implemented?
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Why do we do a master plan? Where are we in the process? How long until complete?
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Is there a plan for more trees?
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Is a library in the future?
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Are there plans to create a large garden again and perhaps revive the CSA farm?
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Not all questions could be addressed during this short time frame, but regarding questions of diversity, M.O.R.E. committee members Sariya Jarasviroj Brown and Rebecca Briamonte shared the diversity study that is beginning in the M.O.R.E. committee, and welcomed parents to join the committee if they are interested in this work. To address questions regarding the campus facilities and planning, Jen Kryzanowski, Campus Planning Committee Chair, discussed the master plan and answered questions related to the process and timeline for implementation. Pedagogical and Leadership structure were also discussed.
If you are interested in learning the answers to these questions or in joining the conversation, please keep an eye here and on ParentSquare for more information.