As noted here on Saturday night, Seattle Public Schools and its teachers (and more) union have reached a tentative contract deal. The Seattle Education Association says its members will vote on the three-year deal Tuesday at 5 pm at Benaroya Hall downtown. You can see a detailed summary of the contract proposal here.
We need to pay teachers whatever they are asking. Why is this even up for discussion?
Asking an honest question….why does this always come up just as school as about to start? Is it purposely for the urgency of the situation? Seems like this could be negotiated earlier on in the summer months so parents don’t have to scramble for coverage if school is delayed.
It’s supposed to be done earlier in the summer. But sometimes they don’t agree and have to negotiate beyond the contract’s expiration. You don’t hear about impasses or impending strikes unless they’re about to affect you–the beginning of the school year.
Negotiations started last May. https://www.google.com/amp/s/q13fox.com/2019/08/22/we-mean-business-seattle-public-school-teachers-picket-amid-contract-negotiations/amp/
It’s a negotiating tactic that both sides are equally responsible for exploiting. However, I can tell you that the teachers are much more likely to recognize and respond to the strain this puts on parents as they interact with parents daily while the administration is, in general, insulated from that daily interface. Based on the Seattle Times article on this same subject it would appear that the district came out playing hardball on this with a 2% increase over 3 years compared to the settled amount of 11.1% over 3 years. Keep in mind that on average the cost of living in Seattle increases 3% per year according to BLS.gov. Effectively, the district was asking for a slight cut over 3 years.
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