Seattle teachers prepared to strike if no contract agreement is made
Seattle teachers prepared to strike if contract agreement not made
Seattle Public Schools teachers and staff are prepared to strike if no new contract agreement is reached with the district before September 1.
SEATTLE, WA - Seattle Public Schools' students may face a delayed start to the upcoming academic year if staff and the district fail to reach an agreement on a new contract before September 1.
The last time the district negotiated new contracts in 2022, teachers went on strike for five days.
(File / FOX 13)
FOX 13 Seattle spoke to Heather Barker, who is one of the members of the bargaining team.
What they're saying:
Barker is a teacher at Captain Stephen E. Sanislo Elementary and has been an educator with Seattle Public Schools for about 20 years. She tells FOX 13 Seattle that teachers say they are overloaded by more work than there is time.
"There is a lot of what we’ve been calling pressurization and trying to reclaim some of our time so that we as educators can accomplish the things that we know that we need to do to best serve our kids and build relationships with our families," said Barker.
Barker said other areas of concern are maintaining a special education program that benefits all students and providing educators and staff with a livable wage.
"We just need to see that, for people who are spending their day with other peoples' children, we want to make sure they have good training, that they have good pay, where they feel valued. This is really about respect," said Barker.
By the numbers:
According to the Seattle Education Association, teachers currently earn an average salary of $117,000 per year, and paraprofessionals earn an average salary of $82,000 per year.
The Seattle Public Schools administration building in Seattle, Wash. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Timeline:
The negotiations have been ongoing since June. Barker tells FOX 13 Seattle that Aug. 26 is the deadline to vote, but the union is prepared to stay at the negotiations table until the last minute on Sept. 1.
However, if no agreement is made by Sept. 1, Barker says teachers will strike. The first day of classes for Seattle Public Schools is Sept. 2nd.
The other side:
Seattle Public Schools provided this statement to FOX 13 Seattle regarding the negotiations:
"We are glad to be working alongside our partners. While we realize much remains to be done, we are optimistic about what we can accomplish together.
"Our bargaining approach is focused on meeting our students' needs while responsibly sustaining our limited public dollars over the long term. This is consistent with direction from the School Board through a resolution adopted in July, which directs the district to bargain in good faith, with mutual respect, and in a manner that supports the district's long-term fiscal health.
"The process is ongoing. The district is at the table on a near-daily basis and deeply engaged. Bargaining works best between the parties, in good faith, at the table — and that is where our focus remains."
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The Source: Information in this story came from Seattle Public Schools, the Seattle Education Association and FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.