Charter school supporters rallied in Seattle, Tacoma and Walla Walla on Thursday. Rally attendees urged Jay Inslee to call a special session to address the state Supreme Court’s ruling that declared charter schools unconstitutional and to “save charter schools.”
The Tacoma News Tribune reports that at least 450 people—including kids and parents—gathered at Destiny Charter Middle School in Tacoma to demonstrate their support for charter schools.
Here are just a few of pictures captured by Twitter users at the rallies in Seattle and Tacoma using #saveWAcharterschools.
While charter schools supporters are fighting to keep their schools open, the Seattle teachers’ union is still fighting to keep public schools closed. Today is the third straight day the teachers’ union prevented children from attending school due to its illegal strike.
Union executives continue to demand “competitive pay increases,” a 16.8 percent wage increase to be exact. That’s down from the 21 percent increase they originally demanded. The demand for more is in addition to a state-authorized 3 percent cost-of-living raise to K-12 employees over the next two years, plus an additional temporary 1.8 percent increase that expires in 2017. But, that’s not all.
Seattle Public Schools can expect to receive the following funding enhancements—this is all in addition to what they are already receiving/will receive—during the 2015-16 year courtesy of the last legislative session:
- $4.2 million for COLAs
- $4.7 million for staff health and fringe benefit increases
- $800,000 for all-day Kindergarten
- $4.7 million for K-3 class size reduction
- $17.3 materials, supplies and operating costs
- $5 million for special education
- $1.3 million for other programs
That brings the grand total of additional allocated funding that Seattle teachers’ union can expect to a whopping $38 million. Yet, the union continues to wage an illegal strike at the expense of children and working families.
Feature photo courtesy of the Seattle PI.
Matt Thimgan says
What’s ironic (or not) is the charter schools were all ready to open for the school year but can’t because of the court’s decision. At the same time Seattle schools are also closed but for a very different reason. A very sad state of affairs all the way around.
Biff says
Ask any leftist: It’s only for the kids! No, no, no, voter approved charter schools are baaddd for the kids. Seattle schools closed by unions? Gooodddd for kids.
scooter says
When you have kids performing better, and have administrators that can fire teachers of course the union leaders we have running the state are going to take action.