Will Seattle Public Schools Open on September 7th?
Here's what I have gleaned.
It's being reported on local tv that the Board of the Seattle Education Association, the teachers union, has voted to authorize a strike vote which could come this weekend. They plan to have a general membership meeting on Wednesday. From the news story, a quote from SEA leadership:
None of us want to strike. But we have a choice. We can go back to school the way things were before, with a lack of student supports and widespread educator burnout. Or we can unite and advocate for something better, for a contract that puts in writing the district’s responsibility to do more for all of our students and educators for years to come," said President of SEA Jennifer Matter. "We are still actively bargaining and hope SPS chooses to come to a tentative agreement. SPS has the power to avert further action—they do this by settling a tentative agreement that meets student needs."
The district's last missive was dated August 29th and seemed quite cheery in its outlook. They have nothing at their Twitter feed on this subject.
Here's a side-by-side comparison of the union's view versus SPS' (from SEA's viewpoint).
I'll keep my ears out for any updates.
Comments
Also, the district is trying to force teachers into being assigned by principals to cover classes at the principals’ direction. This would come out of teacher planning periods, since that is the only non-class time during a teacher’s day. That is unacceptable and forces teachers into having into even more unpaid time to accomplish planning, in addition to everything from student work to after-school IEP meetings.
Think about it, teachers already have no flexibility in their work days. So it is ironic that in a time when so many white collar workers are gaining more control over their schedules and working conditions, teachers are being told they need to lose even the little they have. The district’s lack of respect for teachers is evident in their refusal to provide additional supports, in their disrespect of teachers’ professionalism, and in their proposed power grab over teachers’ time. Oh, and no personal days on Monday or Friday… really, SPS?
And pay? Take a look at this Washington Post piece. Remember that three years ago Seattle teachers accepted much, much lower pay increases than neighboring districts, with the understanding that it would be addressed in this contract.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/08/22/teacher-pay-penalty-hits-new-high/
If anyone knows an SPS teacher, you likely know that last year was incredibly hard and stressful. It’s little wonder that there’s a teacher shortage. And the disrespect for teachers and paras shown by SPS in bargaining this year sure isn’t going to help attract teachers to this district.
Bargaining