Full time TD position

Hey all,
Looking for some advice on what and how to present creating a full time TD position at a local school district.

It's a very quickly growing district with one high school, another one currently under construction, and two middle schools. Each of these have theatre spaces that you wouldn't expect to find in a public school district. The new one being built in particular will be an excellent space. In my opinion better than many of the local colleges (minus the fly ) The school board has continued to sit on it's hands in terms of creating the position. I have been the TD that the director contracts to build the shows. We already have a pretty good presentation put together, but I would love some input and advice. Especially anything that we may have overlooked.

I'll answer any questions you guys have, and I would love any and all advice!
Thanks!!

Find out how many times kids are pulled out of class to run assemblies and such... Worked for my hs TD.... And he has been there for 16 years and counting.

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That's a good thought.. We didn't think of that part. We do have that students shouldn't be responsible for concerts and so on, which is currently the case. (least wise not solely responsible without any staff oversight)

Loss prevention, equipment maintenance, etc. In spaces with no dedicated TD it's only a matter of time until half the lamps are dead, the speakers are blown and stuff is lost/stolen/broken. Having one person who understands how all that works and is aggressive about protecting it is a serious money saver.

StradivariusBone said:

Loss prevention, equipment maintenance, etc. In spaces with no dedicated TD it's only a matter of time until half the lamps are dead, the speakers are blown and stuff is lost/stolen/broken. Having one person who understands how all that works and is aggressive about protecting it is a serious money saver.

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To further this point, these things also become a safety concern and a serious liability to the district. Someone needs to oversee Hanging fixtures, rigging, hell, even just making sure the stage floor is clean and a ghost light is on when the stage is dark.

When the school that I work for now was building their new theater I was brought in as a consultant. I pointed out the many tasks that needed to be done to manage and maintain the space and in addition pointed out that the space could be used as a revenue source when not in use for school purposes. This ultimately led to me being hired as a full time TD. The school realized that one person, who was able to handle all the systems, sound, lighting, maintenance, and managing all the productions was a money saver over contracting out the work piecemeal for each show in a season. I was able to clearly identify all the work I would be doing all year, and then the theater stopped seeming like an idle space between shows to the administration.

I wish our theatre was an "idle space between shows" every once in awhile...

If students are running productions, who is overseeing their work? The term "student" infers the fact they are there to learn. I am certain the general student populous has no idea what is required on a stage to make it function properly and safely. When left to their own devices, students can be highly intuitive, which may be the opposite of what is needed when (for example) hanging a fixture. There needs to be a qualified adult on staff who is responsible for scheduling, training, and general safety guidance when students are doing the work, and being a school, I would hope to see students in these hands-on learning environments frequently.

In my case, it helps to show how many students are involved, so the job is compared to other jobs in the district that work with students. The custodial staff can change a lamp, but they can not be responsible for student activity at a fly rail, loading an electrical circuit, selecting appropriate audio volume, etc.