Working families across Seattle breathed a sigh of relief after learning their children would be returning to school on Thursday. The Seattle teachers union and Seattle School District finalized a new contract deal Tuesday.
According to the Seattle Times, “teachers and other school employees will receive pay increases of 9.5 percent over three years, in addition to the state cost-of-living adjustment of 4.8 percent over two years.” The contract also gives teachers “more of a say in how often students are tested,” and student test scores will “play no role in teacher evaluations.”
The teachers’ union called the contract a “win.” Given the generous concessions made by district negotiators, you’d have to agree. Perhaps if the Seattle superintendent took a page out of Pasco’s book and proceeded with legal steps to end the strike, the outcome may have been a bit different.
If you think the teachers’ strike drama in our state has finally ended, you’d be wrong. Yet another illegal teachers’ strike, this one in Kelso, just started. District officials canceled school on Wednesday as the teachers walked out after contract negotiations ended without an agreement.
The main sticking point is money. The Kelso teachers’ union has demanded six extra paid days for next year. The district has offered four.
Disgusting.