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3 PM: We’re at Seattle Public Schools headquarters in SODO, where district spokesperson Stacy Howard is briefing media – fourth time in five days they’ve held a mid-afternoon briefing.
Both sides confirmed they were negotiating today, but that’s all we’ve heard until now. “The district presented an offer to pay teachers for added instructional minutes,” Howard says, adding, “no time will be added to the instructional day.” She says ****no school on Monday****, though negotiations are still under way. She says the district is now to the place where they’ve run out of the three “snow days” that can be used to make up for the lost days, so they’ll have to be looking at other ways to get to the 180 state-mandated days – maybe looking at what’s scheduled as a full-week mid-winter break this year, for example. Still too soon to say how this might affect graduation dates, according to Howard.
As for what the district is currently proposing, “It’s not what we would like, but what we can afford.” We asked if they could characterize the talks as having made progress; Howard wouldn’t or couldn’t say. The briefing is over after 10 minutes (we recorded it on video as usual and will add that here when it’s uploaded *4:48 pm, it’s up). We’ll update this story if and when there are any other strike-related developments today.
5:13 PM: The union announced a 5 pm media briefing at the Neptune Theater in the U-District, where a concert is being held tonight to benefit striking educators; we didn’t see the announcement in time to get there, but tuned into the KIRO-TV stream in which a union member was telling them they didn’t have anything to say but were awaiting the bargaining team’s arrival.
6:07 PM: The union has just announced by text and tweet that its “Bargaining Team gave the Seattle School Board bargainers a new proposal today: Two-year contract, raises of 4.75% and 5%.” [added] Also, the SEA briefing that finally happened at the Neptune is viewable via Periscope video recorded by KING 5 reporter John Langeler – go here. The first speaker was SEA president Jonathan Knapp, who said it is the board and superintendent’s fault the teachers walked out, because they are not “offering a fair contract.” Lead bargainer Phyllis Campano, SEA vice president (and a former Pathfinder K-8 teacher), said the negotiations were still ongoing at the time of this briefing and that she was headed back immediately afterward. Campano said they have still not come to an agreement on issues she listed as “pay, fair evaluations, reasonable testing, student equity, lengthening the school day.”
6:43 PM: Thanks to the tipster who shared word of tomorrow’s plan: Individual school picketing in the morning, then gathering at “zone” locations in the afternoon. On the Fairmount Park Elementary PTA website, this link says that means FPE teachers will picket outside the school 8:30 am-noon, then joining other schools from their “zone” at West Seattle High School 1-3 pm. Still trying to find out what’s happening at other local schools – any info, please comment or e-mail us (editor@westseattleblog.com) – thank you.
8:51 PM: HPN in comments says what we suspected – the two “zone” locations for afternoon picketing in WS tomorrow will be WSHS and Chief Sealth IHS.
10:10 PM: Amanda in comments says Roxhill is planning to picket at its school all day, rather than going to join the “zone.” Meantime, a Madison MS teacher tells us via e-mail, “We’re picketing at Madison in the morning, then in the afternoon we’re walking over to West Seattle High School for demonstrations there.”
ADDED MONDAY MORNING: Most recent update we can find says negotiations were still under way as of 10:15 last night.
9:15 AM MONDAY: Just texted by SEA, “Negotiations are likely to continue today. No TA yet.” We will launch a new story later today but for now we’re updating this one.
12:20 PM: New update from the union – negotiations “will resume this afternoon.” And the district is again having what’s becoming its daily 3 pm briefing.
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