With a little more than a week to go till school, the Seattle Education Association announced tonight that its members ratified a one-year contract in their vote late today. (Contract details on the SEA website.) School is scheduled to start a week from Wednesday. ADDED 10:06 PM: Haven’t seen an official news release from SEA yet, but Seattle Public Schools just sent one – read on:

This afternoon, members of the Seattle Education Association (SEA) voted to approve a one-year labor contract for 2009-10 with the Seattle Public Schools. The SEA, which represents teachers, paraprofessionals and office professionals, had reached tentative agreement on the contract in mid-August. The ratified contract will now move to the Seattle School Board, which will vote on it on September 2nd.

“I am very pleased that SEA members voted to approve the agreement,” said Seattle Public Schools Superintendent, Maria J. Goodloe-Johnson. “Our work on this contract agreement was made possible by strong and dedicated leadership from the SEA, and I would like to extend my deep appreciation for their leadership and their shared commitment to our students.”

This tentative agreement is the first contract negotiated since the District’s current five-year contract with SEA was reached in 2004. It is the first step in an ongoing negotiations process to work together to achieve the goals of Excellence for All that were reflected in the proposals included in this series of contract talks.

“I look forward to presenting this agreement to the School Board on Wednesday,” Goodloe-Johnson said. “The agreement will help us strengthen teaching and learning and ensure that every student has access to a high-quality education program.”