Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
Yelm Education Association (YEA), as of Tuesday, Jan. 6, has formally submitted a vote of no confidence in Yelm Community Schools Superintendent Chris Woods with 77.7% of voting YEA members voting in favor of the no confidence measure, YEA stated.
According to YEA, its executive board met with Woods on Tuesday, Jan. 6, to inform him of the results. The vote itself was held in December 2025 prior to winter break. Also in attendance at the meeting with the superintendent and YEA were members of his cabinet — Teri Melone, Shannon Powell, DeeDee Buckingham and Dr. Lisa Cadero-Smith — as well as YCS board members Casey Shaw and Ryan Jewell.
YEA currently has 273 members and 206 of them voted, the press release stated.
In an email to the Nisqually Valley News in the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 6, the YEA cited several reasons for the overwhelming vote of no confidence, including: lack of transparency and communication; disregard for educator and staff input; questionable fiscal and administrative practices; negative impact on morale and retention; and failure to prioritize student well-being and achievement.
“At this time, Superintendent Woods has not demonstrated the qualities necessary to lead Yelm Community Schools effectively or responsibly,” YEA wrote in its letter of no confidence. “This vote represents our collective conclusion that Superintendent Woods has lost the confidence of the educators, staff, and community members essential to effectively leading Yelm Community Schools. We respectfully urge the board of directors to take immediate and appropriate action to restore trust, stability, and effective leadership within our schools.”
Following the vote of no confidence, the YEA said it remains committed to the success of Yelm students and to the integrity of the district’s educational mission.
“It is our sincere hope that the Board will act in the best interests of the district by addressing this leadership crisis swiftly and decisively,” YEA wrote.
Later in the week, on Thursday, Jan. 8, Katherine Collum, YEA co-president, took to the podium during the public comments portion of a YCS board of directors meeting to address the union’s vote of no confidence.
Collum, an 18-year educator, parent of two YCS graduates and daughter of a YCS graduate, said the role of being the union’s co-president is a challenging one — as is the role of being a superintendent.
“In that, we have a lot in common and thinking about what’s been happening and how it’s gotten to where it’s gotten, my desire and the membership’s desire has been, fire and foremost, to support our students because that’s why we’re here,” Collum said, at the meeting. “We want to make sure they have what they need to be successful in the world and in their entire life. That is the core. That is the foundation.”
Collum added that YEA and YCS don’t always agree on how the situation escalated to this point. She said the best way to describe what’s been happening between the district and the union is that the two don’t agree.
“In my mind, a leader has to be willing to communicate and be willing to talk,” Collum said. “They have to be willing to listen and they have to be willing to keep trying. When you interviewed for the position, one of the things that stuck out to me — that gave me hope — was that no matter how bad things get, no matter how much conflict, we have to still be willing to come to the table and have those conversations. We might not always agree. We can find a way forward, and I believe that with every fiber of my being.”
She added that the vote of no confidence was meant to represent the feelings of staff who have felt a lack of communication and transparency in a time where “very challenging things are happening” with staff being laid off, brought back and once again considered for cuts.
“That has caused so much strife for everyone. There is no one who has been safe from it,” Collum said. “I agree that the only way forward is to keep having those conversations. It is my commitment to you that I will continue to do that as long as I am in this role — and it is my membership’s choice as to whether or not they wish to have me in this role.”
Additionally, Collum assured the commitment of YEA’s other co-president, Tasha Johnson, who couldn’t attend the meeting on Thursday.
“I know my colleague who is not able to be here tonight, Tasha Johnson — she’s working at the basketball game tonight — she’s also committed to continuing to have the conversations and seeing if we can find those solutions that move us all forward together,” Collum said.
