The Indian Education room at Tacoma School District’s (TSD) Madison complex is vacant.

The classroom-sized room is not empty; in fact, it is equipped with five state-of-the-art computers, new desks, school supplies and boxes of math material. Yet no one is using it.

Walt Swan, director of Indian education for TSD, has a vision for the vacant room. When he first arrived in February, the desks and computers were unopened and stored in the corner. Since then, work stations were set up for staff members for the remainder of the 2006-07 school year, and were used by tutors and students during the summer school session.

Now summer is over, and the formula grant, which funds Indian education’s elementary and middle school programs, has run out.

Last year’s full 12-person staff is now down to three, which makes Swan’s vision of using their computer room for student benefits a little less likely.  

“You know the saying it takes a village to raise a child? Well, we got the children; we’re just looking for the village.”

Since Swan took over the director’s position in February, he has coordinated the recruitment of nearly 200 more students into the program, which means the numbers are looking up for next year’s financial situation.

This school year has just started, though, and Swan - along with his secretary Doris Santos and high school liaison Martha Sherman - are staring down a long but hopeful road for 2007-08.

“I wouldn’t say we’re in a bad spot,” commented Swan. “We’re finally on board to make something happen…we just haven’t found a foothold.”

As far as “making things happen,” Swan has a vision for the empty computer room at the Madison complex.

He wants to see students in the Indian Ed program who need extra help be able to get it through a volunteer-run after-school center.

Beside the desktops and computer systems is a stack of unopened boxes containing a math intervention tool for grades one through five.

“This curriculum hasn’t been used this year in Indian Education,” Swan pointed out.

Swan, Santos and Sherman organized an Indian educators breakfast in September in hopes to raise awareness within the district of the need for after-school volunteers.

“We’ve had some interest, but not enough to get a program going,” said Swan. “I don’t want the same people to be running it every day, week after week-you can’t make a living as a volunteer.”

However, Swan hopes to gain enough volunteer momentum to get something going as soon as possible.

Karyn Clarke, district improvement planning director for TSD, noted that in the past there were staff liaisons (people who check in with students and hold them accountable for schoolwork) at the middle and elementary school level, but because of overspending from the previous year, cutbacks on staffing had to be made.

Since the extension of the program’s demonstration grant, which applies solely to high school, there is still a liaison for high school students.

Sherman has worked in Tacoma’s Indian education program for 18 years, and at Sumner for 10. She checks in with her students to make sure they’re on track for graduation, but realizes the need for support in the lower grade levels.

Although students in the Indian Ed program may have access to after-school tutoring and intervention programs at their home schools, Swan and Sherman agree on the importance for Native students to interact with one another.

Swan noted that many Native students feel isolated at their larger schools, and being able to relate with a mentor who has been through the Indian education program would have a greater impact.

“(Native American students) are less than 1 percent of kids in the population-we get lost,” he said, adding that those who have experienced the Indian education program first hand are able to act as mentors for students who are struggling.

“People who know the plight of Indian education are usually (willing to help out),” he added.

Santos said she would like to see the area used, even if only a couple days a week from 3-6 p.m., while she and Swan are still in the office.

She sees the potential for a student congregation to create a chain reaction into parents’ awareness and involvement in the program.

“If the students get together and form a comraderie, hopefully it will get more parents involved.”

Swan added that the best way to recruit parents is through other parents, so he sees parental involvement as a major force in the development of the program and implementation of services.

“It’s exciting right now because it’s growing,” declared Swan, “but we need all the stakeholders to be involved in this.”