Seattle Education Association Reaches a Tentative Agreement with SPS

Update from the Seattle Times reporter Dahlia Bazzaz (who possibly has the best name in the world) via Twitter:

Seattle teachers would get an 11% raise over the next three years under a tentative agreement with SPS.  Classified employees would get 12.1%.  

That's the second contract with a double-digit raise in two years for Seattle (last year, they got 10.5%).  By 2022, the lowest paid teacher would make around $62K.  The highest paid teacher would make more than $124K.

The new range would surpass those of districts like Everett and Shoreline, where experienced teachers can take home around $120,000 per year.

In its latest budget, the largest ever, the district estimates it will draw down more than half of its $116 million in cash reserves in part to pay for the expansion of state-mandated health benefits, and the raises that it awarded last year.
Story at the TimesSummary from SEA to members.

Looks like (partial):
  •  two more Family Support workers, noted as centrally dispatched, will come out of the new Office of African-American Male Achievement in 2020-2021.  
  • Plus 10 more elementary school counselors by 2021-2022.  
  • One more nurse added for 2019-2020 with two more in later years.  
  • One more assistive technology FTE in 2020-2021.
  •  Looks like a major overhaul for ELL. CSIPS must have a Racial Equity plan.
  •  Something called "Equity Calendaring" will occur in 2020-2021. 

end of update

From the SEA Facebook page:

Seattle Education Association members, we have a tentative agreement (TA)! 

The SEA Representative Assembly recommends approval of the TA at our Aug. 27 SEA General Membership Meeting. TA will be emailed to SEA members for your review. Thank you!

SPS tweeted out this news and says more information will be available at their district bargaining page at its website.

Comments

Billy Billion said…
Cost of contract is unknown.

"The district did not respond to questions sent Sunday morning about the total cost of the deal, or how it would afford the increases. School Board President Leslie Harris did not return a call for comment.
Eads acknowledged that the money required to implement this contract involves the district taking a “risk.” She said the district’s concessions came with the warning that there could be budget cuts and layoffs like the ones the district issued over the past year."
Anonymous said…
It looks like any new money budgeted for improving education is going to get sucked up by the teachers union.

It's a great example of the corruption built into our political system. The state government (controlled by Democrats) budgets more money for education. SPS (controlled by Democrats) uses this money to make the teachers union (controlled by Democrats) happy. The teachers union then completes the cycle of corruption by supporting Democratic politicians. Repeat every election cycle.

Get set for another round of SPS budget woes and cries for more funding next year.

The losers here are the kids and taxpayers.

Fed Up
NSP said…
10 new[ly funded] counselors and 2 new nurses in 2 years doesn't meet students' needs.
Anonymous said…
Fed Up, I'm curious, if the money for improving education does not go to the teachers, counselors, librarians, and so forth, who should it go to? Central office administration? Facilities? Superintendent salary? When you say "sucked up by the teachers union", that's an interesting way to label all the people that directly work with students.

Curious
Anonymous said…
Curious,

Obviously, money spent on education can be spent on teacher salaries. It can also be spent on many other things known to significantly improve student outcomes: reducing class sizes, teacher training, improved curriculums, better facilities, better infrastructure, better support services, etc. The list goes on.

If SPS chooses to invest all its additional resources in teacher salaries, it is also choosing to not invest in these other things. I personally believe a more balanced approach towards investing in educational improvements would result in better outcomes for the students. I also believe that the current SPS approach is driven by politics and is not in the best interest of the students.

Does that help?

Fed Up
Clap- Clap said…
WE have 100 schools. Ten counselors is a drop in the bucket.

Nurse Staffing will be allocated with a racial equity lens and an emphasis on high needs schools. The intention toward 1:1,000 ratio. Again, the teachers union shows little regard for wrap around services.

Audiologists: Establish the audiology caseload as 1:10,000 in the 20-21 school year. • In 2020- 2021, an additional 1.0 FTE audiologist will be allocated. • SPS and SEA will review the audiologist caseload in SY21-22 to monitor if the caseload is meeting the 1:10,000 ratio.

The teachers union has little regard for wrap around services. Services included in SEA's contract is nothing more than a token measure.

Family Support workers are tied to the city's Family and Education Levy.

Of course, SEA worked Soooooo hard! There will be smiles, congratulations and thanks to all that worked soooooo hard. Meanwhile, wrap around services continue to suffer.

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