UPDATE: Seattle teachers say they’re walking out for one day on May 19th; SPS to close schools and add June 16th make-up date

ORIGINAL REPORT, 9:04 AM: Thanks to the texters who alerted us to this: The Seattle Education Association teachers union says its members have voted for a one-day walkout on Tuesday, May 19th, two weeks from today. The announcement was published via the SEA Facebook page last night:

With an 85% yes vote, Seattle educators have voted to join the wave of one day strikes over the legislature’s failure to fund education! The strike will be Tuesday, May 19. It’s time for reasonable class sizes and caseloads, and for livable wages!

As our partners at The Seattle Times point out, teachers in more than 20 other districts already have had this type of walkout or are planning one. Meantime, we checked with Seattle Public Schools to ask about their plan for the walkout date; spokesperson Stacy Howard tells WSB that the district has no official notification from SEA, but will comment once they do. So – updates to come.

ADDED 2:17 PM: Just in from SPS – a letter sent out by the superintendent to SPS staff, noting that school will be canceled May 19th and so an extra day is added at the end of the year, June 16th:

The Seattle Education Association (SEA) has voted to join in a statewide action against the legislature to protest the lack of education funding in our state. SEA is the organization of professionals and union that represents teachers in our district. This protest involves a one-day walkout.

SEA has selected May 19 as the day for their one-day walkout. Therefore, there will be no school for students on May 19, as teachers will not be at work on that day. SEA chose the day to provide the district two weeks of notice to work on arrangements in an effort to minimize disruption for students, parents and district staff to the greatest extent possible.

While there is no school for students on May 19, the school day will have to be made up, just as we would make up a snow day or other unforeseen calendar change. The make-up day will be added to the end of the school year. This means Tuesday, June 16, will become our last day of school and a work day for district staff.

The SEA action is not directed at Seattle Public School as a district, but is a statement to the state legislature about the current lack of adequate state funding for basic education and we share that concern. I thank you in advance for your understanding. If you have questions about your work schedule for next week, please work closely with your supervisor.

Sincerely,

Dr. Larry Nyland
Superintendent

44 Replies to "UPDATE: Seattle teachers say they're walking out for one day on May 19th; SPS to close schools and add June 16th make-up date"

  • phil dirt May 5, 2015 (9:48 am)

    The United States spends more money per student than any other country on the planet. It’s not the lack of money so much as how the money is spent. Public education seems to get progressively worse the more the feds get involved. We need more local control and less involvement with the bureaucrats in the other Washington. Of course, I suppose I’m just whistling Dixie.

  • B May 5, 2015 (10:02 am)

    We’re more like 3rd or 4th: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cmd.asp

    unless it comes to college (which we’re #1).

    Education did seem to get ‘worse’ with No Child Left Behind and the rush to test test test. I’m not sure more local control is always better; some places in the country, “local control” is code for “teach creationism/religion”. We do seem to have too many bureaucrats though – if we could prune the administration staff and hire more teachers, reducing class sizes, that would be a good move IMO.

  • KBear May 5, 2015 (10:10 am)

    Phil, this isn’t about federal funding. There IS a lack of state funding, and that’s a fact. The legislature has been ignoring its constitutional obligation to fully fund K-12 public education and was recently found in contempt for disregarding a court order to do so.

  • GAnative May 5, 2015 (11:39 am)

    Does this mean they are adding a make-up day to the end of the year?

    • WSB May 5, 2015 (11:47 am)

      GAN, no word from SPS yet, not even as to whether schools will close – in which case a makeup day might be at issue – or try to stay open with subs, administrators, etc. Will update soon as that info goes public.

  • maylor May 5, 2015 (11:53 am)

    Oy. The best education systems in the world are almost always those that have uniform standards set at their national level. Here’s a link to the results from the latest PISA: http://www.businessinsider.com/pisa-rankings-2013-12.
    Some things to note is the fact that China is only presenting results from 3 regions out of many. Secondly many of the top performing nations have smaller populations and more culturally homogenous societies. In these countries teacher pay is relatively high and the quality of profession is generally higher. Teachers are educated on the science of teaching and undergo more mandatory on the job training than US counterparts (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/magazine/why-do-americans-stink-at-math.html?_r=0).
    Feel free to believe that a fragmented approach of more local control is going to improve results or increase efficiencies, but there is little evidence that this will happen. Education like healthcare, are not financial and industrial markets and the best outcomes at the lowest costs come from scale and centralized standards.
    As KBear notes, WA is not funding its obligation but funding won’t guarantee better outcomes as measured by educated children. The focus of the union is to hire more teachers and increase pay, which will be presented as necessary for helping children but the evidence that there is mixed. In Japan and Korea avg is over 32 (http://www.oecd.org/edu/skills-beyond-school/EDIF%202012–N9%20FINAL.pdf). The focus should be on hiring the highest quality teachers and pay them high salaries – but that’s not gonna happen.

  • bsmomma May 5, 2015 (2:07 pm)

    Just got the robo-call that school’s cancelled on May 19th.

  • SueY May 5, 2015 (2:10 pm)

    I thought the state lottery money and pot money was going to the schools. LOL

    • WSB May 5, 2015 (2:17 pm)

      Thanks, Bs, I’m updating the story now as we just got the media release.

  • B May 5, 2015 (2:47 pm)

    SueY brought up a good point – maybe WSB could track down what the state is bringing in from the pot sales, and where that money is going? I seem to remember seeing a stat about the first month or so tax revenue, but not much since then.

  • Kathleen May 5, 2015 (2:56 pm)

    And yes, the kids will have to make it up on June 16. :(

    • WSB May 5, 2015 (2:57 pm)

      Yes, the story has been updated. Thanks.

  • BMC May 5, 2015 (3:32 pm)

    Lets be positive for the cause! State funding is lacking – what about all those who had to pay for full day kindergarten to name one issue. Big deal – 1 make up day, could’ve been for snow if we had a more typical weather year!

  • Andy May 5, 2015 (3:56 pm)

    “It’s time for reasonable class sizes and caseloads, and for livable wages!”

    How about they supply specific numbers for each of those three things? As a taxpayer I’d be thrilled to give them a one time pass to receive every penny they say it would take to do their jobs properly, or whatever standard of measure they want to use. Every penny it would take to make their class sizes and caseloads “reasonable,” given that they actually give a solid, specific number to what that means.

    If the idea is that more money ‘will’ make education better, and not just ‘might’ make education better, then the above should be a guarantee of success.

  • skeeter May 5, 2015 (4:21 pm)

    Am I the only one who sees the irony in this? If education is underfunded, the victims are the students, not the teachers. The teachers are protesting lack of education funding by not teaching the students for a day?

  • Mr. G May 5, 2015 (4:31 pm)

    Dear parents & community members, please know that the SEA leadership does not speak for all of us (teachers). This was orchestrated in conjunction (collusion?) with SPS, i.e., this is an “approved” action, and as with many SEA decisions, the rank-and-file members have had very little say in this process. Many of us strongly disagree with this action, as it inconveniences & alienates the one group that we absolutely must have on our side: the parents. Additionally, whether it’s high school students taking necessary exams or kinders getting a proper breakfast & lunch, we wish there was a way to draw attention to the challenges that we face that didn’t unintentionally punish the younger members of our community, those to whom we have dedicated our lives, by denying them a day of learning. This ad hoc, reactionary response to a complex issue is the exact opposite of what we need: rational, public discourse that allows ALL voices to be heard. Action without empathy is doomed to failure.

  • flimflam May 5, 2015 (4:40 pm)

    I think I will stay home from work that day also in support of the teachers. I wonder what my boss will say?

  • mcbride May 5, 2015 (4:43 pm)

    Skeeter,
    .
    A bit of a stretch there. Low pay and poor conditions are the issues. Those issues contribute to a diminished scholastic experience by the students, and you are absolutely right that we should all care about that. The proposition here is that if we had a better equipped workforce, a better job would get done.
    .
    So, the unionized workforce is calling for a strike action to improve their situation. Agree with it or don’t, but I’m Pretty sure you know how that works.

  • skeeter May 5, 2015 (5:06 pm)

    Thanks McBride. I didn’t realize low pay was the issue. I thought the problem was underfunded education has led to overcrowded classrooms and larger class sizes.

    I’d like more clarification if this action is intended to improve the situation of teachers or improve the situation of students. Not always the same.

    Respectfully, I don’t think this is a strike. In this case the employer, SPS, has approved the action. That doesn’t sound like a strike to me. It’s more like a protest.

    I agree our kids deserve the best. Not sure I agree this is the way to get there.

  • Nick May 5, 2015 (5:09 pm)

    Well said Mr.G. As a parent I agree with your comments on the situation.

  • Rusty May 5, 2015 (5:21 pm)

    Average Seattle HS teacher salary: $60,182
    Average Seattle Elementary teacher salary: $57,717
    Jose Banda: $280,551
    Seattle Public Schools Total Compensation for employees: $410,767,949
    Total per student spending: $19,051 (from https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/facts/key-facts-about-seattle-public-schools)

    I would say that maybe we need to ‘trim the fat’ with the administrators, and focus more on the kids.
    I would love to send my daughter to public schools, but given the elementary schools in Gatewood (the one she would attend is one of the lowest-rated in SPSD), I spend a lot of money sending her to a private school (and I make less than the avg. teacher salaries but don’t get 2 months off each year). Let the parents have control of the funds for their kids and the ability to choose where to send their kids – introducing competition is the only way to fix this broken system, and if you really care about the kids then you will see through the WEA and SEA’s b.s. and think about alternatives that really focus on the purpose – giving our kids a good education.

  • Raincity May 5, 2015 (5:40 pm)

    I agree teachers need funding but like other posters above I want some assurance there will be money spent improving services for students. My daughters middle school has two counsellors for 900 kids. That doesn’t add up to me.

  • Imelda May 5, 2015 (5:53 pm)

    how does the rank and file have “very little say in the matter”? My understanding was that it was put to a vote?
    I support the walk out, I hope they go raise hell in Olympia.

  • J. May 5, 2015 (5:57 pm)

    This country spends a lot of time convincing itself it’s the best at everything, then ignores the most important. We should realize our education system has failed and copy countries that are successful.

    http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/06/24/ctq_faridi_finland.html

  • Bologna Sandwich May 5, 2015 (6:02 pm)

    Spending has only gone up, up, up. As a percent of the state budget, spending has gone from 38.9% from 08-09 to 46.9% in the proposed 15-17 budget.

    Let’s be honest here.

  • Bologna Sandwich May 5, 2015 (6:06 pm)

    Low pay for teachers? You’re joking, right? Teacher salaries are available online. How much should pay the teacher across the hall from me be paid who cannot even manage his email inbox or turn on an LCD projector? Base salary is $64k. After stipends, this teacher makes $88k. Another $10k for insurance and other benefits puts this teacher at nearly $100k. This teacher is nowhere to be seen from mid-June to late August. Arrives late. Leaves early. Sounds like cake.

  • WestofJunction May 5, 2015 (6:28 pm)

    Ridiculous – $19k/year per student is not enough? I also have respect for teachers, but they know going in to the profession that they’ll not get rich. That information existed before the internet, by the way.

  • DF May 5, 2015 (7:38 pm)

    I’m a parent of two elementary school students. The missed day will be an inconvenience to be sure, but if the teacher protest manages to get the state legislature any closer to meeting its constitutional responsibility, then it will surely be worth it. For this, we should be thanking the teachers, not complaining about them.

    The courts have found that the state isn’t paying enough. How school districts spend their funds is a separate issue from how much the state owes them in the first place.

  • Ttt May 5, 2015 (8:38 pm)

    The issue is the state not funding their obligations and not listening to the voters who voted for lower class sizes. Teacher pay/lack of cost of living adjustment is for another conversation. I’d like to compare Boeing salaries and their long strikes to this one day “strike” and teacher salaries someday…

  • elaine May 5, 2015 (9:57 pm)

    Geesh — why would we want to pay for good education when we could have a useless digger stuck under the viaduct instead.

  • Formerstudent May 6, 2015 (6:02 am)

    Brilliant teachers…punish the children by withholding a day Of
    education because the govt is holding back on education…
    Way to go teach…
    Do the tax payers a favor and skip a day of pay while you are at it…

  • teach May 6, 2015 (7:09 am)

    One of the biggest difficulties of being a teacher (which I am) is that most people have experience with schooling (from being a student) and therefore believe that they understand what it takes to run a classroom, a school, etc. The truth is that we are always learning, always changing best practices, and very little about teaching is the same as my student experience. This professional knowledge has to be balanced, of course, with the community’s input – after all, parents and families are who we serve. In the end, though, teachers should be the bottom line of professional knowledge about teaching.

    I started this year with 178 7th graders on my caseload. That’s 34 per class, in a room that only has room for 32 desks. My teaching partner had more students, because she had a bigger room. For me, due to class lengths, that was 1.6 minutes per child per day. When you factor in daily necessities (attendance, directions, misbehaviors, cleanup, etc.) it is less than a minute per child. I know that I would want my child to have more than 6 minutes per day of adult attention (6 periods x 1 minute) at school.

    My teaching partner and I calculated the financial cost of the district (since our legal caseload is 145, they are required to pay for assigning over that number) and sent it to our administrator. She took that looming sum of money to the district and asked for a part time certificated teaching position instead – and they gave it to her.

    Now, I have 125 students, with classes ranging from 20-28. Yes, that’s still not much time (especially in my 6th period, with 28 students) – but it’s made a huge difference. Here are some examples:

    1. Quantitatively – just more time with kids, more time to analyze their work deeply and plan a followup that counts for them as an individual, more time to read out loud to kids who are still at a 1st grade reading level, more time to translate things into Spanish for kids who need it, more time to spend with students who are mastering things and need to be pushed into the high school content
    2. Qualitatively – I know more about each child, and can form a better relationship with them. There is long-standing research that shows this improves and increases learning.
    3. Especially in middle school, there is just something about having more than 25 students in a room – the kids feed off each other’s energy and it becomes a louder, more wild place. This requires a lot of time training students how to be in a classroom – and this time comes from their instructional time. I am an excellent classroom manager, and it still takes time for 12 year olds to learn appropriate behaviors, just like it takes them time to learn math, reading, etc. Class size matters, and if someone tries to show me the bogus research that says it doesn’t – I’ve seen it. It doesn’t hold up to my firsthand experiences.
    4. Teacher retention – if we want teachers to stay, we have to give them a job where they can feel at least SOME success. This is pretty basic “keep your employees” stuff. I have a good benefits package, and yes, I have summers “off”. But I put in so much time during the 9 months of the year that school is in session that I still end up donating much of my time. Summers “off” are the only way many of us can recover enough to come back.

    It makes me sad to see that the people we work for often paint us (teachers) as these irrational, money-thirsty monsters who just want a day off, so we strike.

    In reality, most teachers I know are too busy working hard to make it to the union meetings to vote. I encourage you to volunteer at your local school for a week or so (or longer, we need you!) to see what teachers do, what goes into it, and who is there outside of the paid hours.

    Please be educated as you use your opinion to influence decisions about other people’s lives and careers.

  • Teacher spouse May 6, 2015 (8:42 am)

    Well said ‘teach’. I am not a teacher but there are many in my life, my husband is one of them. I watch the amount of heart and soul that he pours into his job. every day. and the amount of work that he takes home, responding to emails, grading school work, calls from parents – the job never ends. It is offensive to hear teachers be blamed for the chronic issues that our schools systems face. You may disagree with methods but just like ‘teach’ advised – before you criticize teachers, walk a mile in their shoes to see how they are impacted by the lack of funding our schools receive.

  • Mary May 6, 2015 (10:06 am)

    I completely support our teachers. And this issue is with the state, not the district, which is refreshing for a change! However, closing school for a day with two weeks notice is a terrible idea. How many parents can get an extra day off with only two weeks notice? It may be fine for high school kids, but what about parents of younger children? I doubt the walkout will have any effect anyway–the legislature is aware of the problem, but it’s not an easy one to fix. I think this makes people feel better, that they’re “doing something about it,” but the reality is, this is extremely stressful for many families. And those families are typically the ones who are already struggling. I am disappointed in this action.

  • miws May 6, 2015 (10:30 am)

    Thank you for your comments, teach.

    .

    I hope that Bologna Sandwich, Formerstudent, and others that think that teachers “have it so easy”, take time to thoroughly read, and thoroughly reflect on what you posted.

    .

    Mike

  • bmc May 6, 2015 (10:40 am)

    Thanks Teach! Don’t complain about the pay… could YOU do the job? I’ve helped with my 1st graders class of 27! So 2 boys are difficult – need seemingly constant positive monitoring, then there are the autism inclusion kids who are on sensory overload, then the run-of-the-mill wiggly kids who need redirection and the remainder of the normal 6-7 year olds who want to be kids. The teacher LOVES the kids and her job in spite of it all. Don’t blame the teachers – they never know who they are going to have to deal with and most of them do it with grace, compassion and an expertise the rest of us don’t have. How would you deal with 27 kids for a day, without a tablet or a TV but instead teach them, help them thrive and keep them in line! I am happy to get back to my tedious spreadsheet job – rather than deal with that lovely chaos thank you.

  • MIDDLE SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL MOM May 6, 2015 (11:23 am)

    Mr. G I certainly hope that my kids have had you or get you as a teacher and thank you for your response. I agree with all that you shared, as for Teach while I think you were not trying to come across as negative you did to me. I certainly hope my children do not ever have you as a teacher. I don’t want my children to be part of any ones case load, I want them to be part of your classroom. When you start breaking your classes down by minutes per student you become part of the problem. Sounds like you might be better suited working for SEA rather than teaching children.

  • miws May 6, 2015 (12:30 pm)

    How is teach’s post negative?

    .

    I certainly can’t speak for teach, but it seems to me they were providing some data points, for those that don’t understand why the teachers taking these actions, to consider.

    .

    Mike

  • also a teacher May 6, 2015 (3:32 pm)

    Some of the comments on here sadden me. I am a public school teacher, not in the Seattle district but still in the state of Washington. What I think people fail to see and understand is there is more going on in education than teacher pay. That is what is portrayed by the media but only a fraction of the truth. Some of the main reasons walkouts are being planned across the state are due to initiatives that were passed by voters that the state is refusing to follow through with. This included smaller class sizes, which has a tremendous benefit for students. They are also proposing something called a “levy swap.” As voters, you may want to inform yourselves of this. Legislatures are trying to pass a bill that allows them to take a specific percentage of taxes YOU pay for levies to fund YOUR community schools and pull it back to the state level and use as they see fit.

    As to the education of teachers that I have noticed some of you comment on, I would like you to know most teachers have Masters degree plus MANY more continuing education hours to stay current in their teaching. I myself have a Masters degree plus 90 credit, which is equivalent to a PhD. Many of us spend our own money (and we know college courses are not cheap) every year to further our education in hope to have a positive impact on your child’s education. I know the perception is that teachers have ALL summer off. In reality many of us spend that time in classes and training in preparation for the following year. I know many people think we don’t work hard and are over paid, but compare the amount of education most teachers have to that of any other professional. Mind you, many professional equivalent to us get several weeks of paid vacation a year. As a teacher, I am NOT in it for the money but I would like to be able to support my family. I am not sure where the information came from that teachers make 100K a year…if that’s true, I want to work for that district. I would also like to point out that the voters passed a bill 6 years ago to provide a 3% cola for state employees like teachers. Legislators suspended that for the past 6 year but are not advocating for their own 11% raise, but that has not made the news or been shared with the public.

    I would also like to point out I am a mother and my children are in the public school system. This decision was not made lightly by myself or other teachers. We debated the pros and cons of this at length. We understand the impact it will have on the community BUT we also understand the potential impact it could have with the state. We are doing this FOR YOUR CHILDREN and for their education. Please keep that in mind. We are in this together. All we want is for the state to pay for their unfunded mandates and provide our kids with a proper education.

  • Middle school patent May 7, 2015 (12:44 pm)

    MIDDLE SCHOO…
    Unfortunately teachers can’t choose students.
    I feel for teachets who get the children of such irrational judgement makers.

  • Seattledude May 11, 2015 (4:35 pm)

    Teachers on strike for lower classroom sizes and more pay? There are few studies that show a direct relationship between classroom size and student scores or an improved educational experience.

    An excellent teacher in a full classroom will have a much more positive impact on the class than an average teacher in a smaller class.

    Pay…$60k, stable job, pension and 3 months off? Don’t compare that to the average corporate job with little time off, no stability, no pension and little fulfillment in the job itself.

    Someone who is on the road, selling some product, worrying about competition and getting laid off is not a valid comparison for a school teacher.

    There is a sense of entitlement for many teachers. They don’t want standardized testing for the students and they don’t want any kind of objective review for themselves.

    The least demanding course work at university level is what is required to become a teacher.

    The fact of the matter is that the lifestyle, salary, working conditions is better than many, many jobs. There are very few jobs that have less review and objective standards than teaching.

  • highline teacher May 14, 2015 (12:23 am)

    “An excellent teacher in a full classroom will have a much more positive impact on the class than an average teacher in a smaller class.”

    So we should *reward* excellent teachers with a larger class?

    Seattledude, are you saying you actually want your children to have standardized testing? I teach a grade that only has 3 rounds of district testing (each round has reading and math, with bubble sheets) but no state-mandated testing (yet), and it is already too much testing. We already have our own curriculum assessments (for students to show growth in their learning), and in a curriculum that’s aligned for Common Core, it’s basically another assessment every 2 weeks. It’s a LOT of testing. More so than I ever recall from my own 2nd grade experience!

    You’re right. Teaching does have pretty nice working conditions. I’m on my feet all-day since there’s no time to sit at a computer which keeps me in shape. Parents, for the most part, are very courteous and supportive, when I communicate with them about school and their students. And yes, my “office” is pretty spacious with large windows and plenty of reading plus other learning materials. Best, I have 25 little hearts to shape, enrich and I hope, brighten their worlds just a bit each day. All because of the immensely short, yet intense time we get together starting in August to until June.

    Ask your child how they feel about their teacher. THAT is what should guide your judgement and support for teachers.

    Don’t ask teachers about what artifacts they’re submitting to show the 9 criteria in which fits in a framework for components of professional practice. Plus student growth. It’s the latest online evaluation system (ontop of the 2-3 observations a year) and it’s a beast. Hours taken to submit over work towards our class! We do it in order to continue teaching, even if we continue to have reduced pay each year.

  • Lou May 18, 2015 (10:55 am)

    Teachers do NOT make an average of $60k. Approximately 1/3rd of that so-called pay is the cost of insurance, “pensions,” etc. ACTUAL pay is about $40k for a teacher with 12 years experience and countless hours of professional development (almost always at the teacher’s expense). I don’t of any private employers who advertise one salary, then deducts all of your benefits (whether you want them or need them). Please stop throwing around fictitious numbers. Perhaps we should be more concerned with how a body as large as state educators cannot effectively negotiate lower costs.

  • Lou May 18, 2015 (11:14 am)

    To balogna: I would love to know who this person across the hall is. They don’t work at my school.

    To teach: How’s that for data-driven evidence! Reality is far too difficult to quantify, but you nailed the surface.

    To any non-teacher: I dare you to spend ONE day, ALL day (from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.) shadowing a teacher. I think you might feel embarrassed (ashamed?) of your assertions based almost entirely on sheer ignorance.

Sorry, comment time is over.