SE Washington News

A controversial decision to use Walla Walla Public School substitute teachers as support staff at local child-care facilities has some community members calling foul.

Valley residents that are unhappy with the school district subsidizing this arrangement told the Union-Bulletin they believe it’s not fair to families that make too much to receive financial assistance for daycare,  but are not making enough to cover child-care expenses on their own, which means their children do not have direct access to school district appointed support staff under this arrangement.

Wade Smith, Superintendent of the Walla Walla Public School district,said the support staff are simply being paid to help children log-in to their distance learning classes, according to the Union Bulletin.

“Some of them may have a teaching certificate, but we are simply paying them as classified employees because they are not teaching, they are not tutoring and they are not providing instruction, Smith told the Union-Bulletin.

Angel Camacho, owner of Little Angels Bio-Dome Daycare & Pre-School has district-appointed support staff at his facility and he confirmed their interaction with the children is limited.

“They are getting here at 7:30 in the morning and are really just there to make sure the kids can get logged in,” Camacho told the Union-Bulletin.