About 2,500 Seattle teachers staging one-day strike Tuesday to send message to lawmakers
SEATTLE -- The state's largest school district is just the latest to take to the streets for a one-day walkout, asking state lawmakers for higher education funding and smaller class sizes.
But with an estimated 52,000 students out of school, parents were scrambling for child care.
An estimated 2,500 teachers from Seattle public schools will be walking out Tuesday and another 2,500 others from the community will be joining them for a rally in protest over school funding.
With two children in the Seattle Public School District, John Selivanoff already has plans for his kids while their teachers strike Tuesday.
For parents who don`t have that option, the city of Seattle is also offering free activities at its community centers for the day. Seattle Parks and Recreation will open and staff 21 centers.
Selivanoff said he doesn't mind the minor inconvenience. He believes the teachers are fighting for a cause that will benefit public education for the long haul.
As both a mother and a teacher with Seattle Public Schools, Linda Wilson feels the same. It`s why it won`t just be her on the picket lines, but also her kids.
In a released statement, state Sen. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, is blasting the teachers' union, accusing them of using “children as political pawns.”
He claims the Washington Education Association is refusing to appear at a legislative hearing Tuesday on docking teacher pay during what he calls “illegal strikes.”
Wilson and her family don`t see it that way. They said their children aren`t pawns but rather their motivation to fight for what they believe.
The teachers are planning to walk out at 8 a.m. Tuesday and then meet with other teachers at Seattle Center around 11 a.m., where they will march together down 2nd Avenue to Westlake. The Mercer Island and Issaquah school teachers will be joining Seattle’s march.
Teachers in the Peninsula District will also walk out Tuesday.
Bellevue, Mukilteo, Steilacoom, South Kitsap and University Place strike on Wednesday; Highline and Tumwater on Thursday. Educators in the Everett School District will walk out on Friday. Administrators there said they'll serve lunch to kids on Friday so they won't miss a meal.
The drop-in activities will be available at the following community centers through Seattle Parks and Recreation:
The program will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Parks’ Teen Centers will be open 2:30-8:00 p.m. in order to provide some daytime drop-in activities for teens. Geographically located Teen Centers are Meadowbrook, Garfield, and Southwest. See http://www.seattle.gov/parks/tlc/.