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CHS Pics | ‘Honk for teachers’ — UPDATE: Tentative agreement

 District officials said Friday they are hopeful for a tentative agreement this weekend after the union representing teachers and educators at Seattle Public Schools said it is prepared to strike.

UPDATE 9/1/2018 6:45 AM: Both sides announced a tentative agreement in the negotiations Friday night. The full announcement from SPS is below.

Thursday afternoon on Capitol Hill, CHS found a group gathered on the corner of 19th and Galer outside Stevens Elementary to bring attention to their push for increased wages for teachers, librarians, and other school staff.

“SPS and SEA are still bargaining,” the update from the district sent Friday afternoon reads. “We have every reason to believe there will be a tentative agreement this weekend & school will begin on time. If anything changes and an educator strike seems likely, families will be contacted immediately.”

The joint team is making progress but don’t yet have a tentative agreement. Together, they are developing salary schedules that make funding distribution transparent and to offer competitive educator salaries.

CHS reported here on the negotiations as teachers face mounting housing costs in the region while the district is looking at a large drop in funding on the horizon. In 2015, a brief strike ended with an agreement on raises as well as guaranteed recess time for students, and new testing policies. It was Seattle’s first  teachers strike in 30 years.

The negotiations are the first major test for new Seattle Schools superintendent Denise Juneau.

 

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The bargaining sessions, which have been ongoing since May, come at a time when other local districts have been seeing large wage increases for educators. For example, the Edmonds School District announced a collective-bargaining agreement that resulted in a teacher’s starting salary being approximately $63,000, which is a 19% increase. Salaries for veteran instructors could top $114,000.

In 2015, the brief strike ended with an agreement on raises as well as guaranteed recess time for students, and new testing policies.

With state money allowing the district to plan for a $45.4 million budget surplus in the 2018-2019 school year, teachers hope to secure a major increase in pay as housing costs in the city are quickly rising. Teachers in Seattle currently earn between $50,000 and $100,000.

While a bump in funding is coming, officials say the district must prepare for “the realities of the district’s significant revenue shortfall in 2019-20.”

UPDATE 9/1/2018: Here is the full announcement on the tentative agreement from SPS:

We are excited to share that the Seattle Education Association and district have reached a tentative contract agreement. School will begin on Wed., Sept. 5 for 1st through 12 grade students and Mon., Sept. 10 for kindergarten students. The SEA general membership assembly will vote on the proposed contract on Sat., Sept. 8.

SEA represents our educators, substitutes, paraprofessionals, instructional assistants, and office professionals. Our staff are our heroes. They work incredibly hard every day supporting our students and families, and it is the district’s job to support our staff as best we can.

Since May, a joint team of approximately 45 Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and Seattle Education Association (SEA) representatives have been negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. The entire team has been working hard to ensure the negotiation process progresses smoothly and that the bargaining teams reach an agreement before the start of the school year.

This year the team was engaged in interest-based bargaining. This new approach to bargaining builds on our shared commitment to students and to common goals, such as racial equity. We are excited to offer enhanced supports to our educators in the tentative agreement. Details will be released after the SEA general membership meeting.

One priority issue during negotiations has been educator compensation. We believe our educators and support staff deserve a competitive, fair salary package and as a district we want to be able to attract and retain the very best educators for our students. Our bargaining team has worked hard to provide the best compensation package we can possibly afford while maintaining critical services and programs for students. We value our incredible educators and look forward to a great first day!

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