And So We Await an Announcement/Decision from either SPS or SEA About a Strike

4:00 pm

I appreciate that SPS and SEA are continuing to negotiate but it's getting late in the day. I would hope that both groups would have the courtesy to parents to make a call on this by 7 pm. Because there are kids excited about tomorrow and parents have to know what to tell their children before they go to bed. 

I will not be able to monitor events after 6 pm but here's a link to the West Seattle Blog where I know they are keeping watch.  

When possible, I will provide a later update. 

1:45 pm

Via the West Seattle Blog:

The union says 75 percent of its 6,000 members voted, and that 95 percent of them voted to authorize a strike.

A member of the bargaining team joined the briefing for a moment to say, “We’re prepared to stay all night if that’s what it takes.”

So far no word from either side so far on any kind of cutoff time for a decision on what happens tomorrow. We will of course update as soon as we hear anything.

End of update

Noon

The SEA announced that its membership had voted to authorize a strike tomorrow if no agreement is finished by today. 

end of Update

As of 7:15 am this morning:

- Nothing new from SPS at Twitter, Facebook or their website.

- On Twitter, SEA announced that 9 am today was the cut-off time for teachers to vote on a strike. No word on how long to tally votes or when an announcement might be made.

- On Facebook SEA said this (partial): SEA members made 6,000 picket signs and trained picket captains to prepare for a possible strike.

- On Facebook SEA also announced a "United for Our Students Rally" fro 4:30-6:00 pm at JSCEE.

- A media update from SEA includes this: “The SEA Bargaining Team met with SPS on Sunday and met with a mediator today to continue work toward an agreement.”

More to come as events happen.

Comments

Anonymous said…
It was a stomach-turning optic to see the photo in the Times of SEA members with professionally-printed strike signs all ready to go as of yesterday. I know they have to be prepared, but it is very demoralizing for all of us who are hoping for a normal first day of school.

North End Parent
Anonymous said…
Am I thrilled school start will (likely) be delayed? No, not at all.

Do I 100% support the teachers over the district? H*ll, yeah. SPS is flush with cash, they want to foist a half-baked special ed plan last minute on kids and families sight-unseen (although props to SPED PTSA and SCPTSA for their joint statement and disclosure of the contents of the special ed plan the district wanted kept secret). They have the audacity to call it equity and inclusion when, to me, it looks like nothing more than a budget and staffing cut borne on the backs of special ed kids. I shake my head and say no thank you.

Do I think teachers are lacking generally in special education training? Yes, big time. Based on personal experience. Do they need to learn and incorporate universal design into their teaching? Totally. They're not off the hook here. But the district isn't even negotiating with them (backing out last minute, taking days off, unrealistic proposals). It's not right.

I can't help but think the district has lost so much staff the past biennium they may be short on negotiating experience on their bargaining team? Their approach and the tone-deaf email from the district's PR department are baffling.

So, yeah. Not thrilled, but 100% behind teachers in this case. The weather's nice at least.

IEP-arent
Anonymous said…
SPS is so obviously bargaining in bad faith that everyone in town can see it. It'll be interesting to see what the school board does here though. They're the ones who will take the heat but they already gave away all their power. They'll go down with the SPS ship on this one. Here's how the seven of them stack up:

Hersey: 100% in lockstep with SPS admins. (Despite being an educator...wonder how WEA feels about this.)
Hampson: 100% in lockstep with SPS admins. (If teachers don't give in, she'll denounce them as being racist.)
Rankin: 100% in lockstep with whatever Hampson tells her to do. (Quite the grifter too, going from Madam Soup for Teachers to an SPS toadie.)
Harris: Clearly gave up a long time ago. Doesn't really trust SPS admins but also isn't willing to fight.
Rivera Smith: Clearly gave up a short time ago. Doesn't really trust SPS admins but also isn't willing to fight.
Song Maritz: Quite the wild card here. Probably wishes she were somewhere else right now.
Sarju: Quite the wild card here: Probably planning a late and significant intervention on behalf of the teachers.

Observer
Anonymous said…
The Times is reporting that SEA members approved the strike with a vote of 95%. Not unanimous, but it shows a great deal of support for a strike.

Maybe SPS and SEA can reach a TA at the last hour, but I wouldn't count on it. If there is a strike, let's hope it's a short one.

DE
Historian said…
Observer,

I'm not sure we're seeing bad faith bargaining or a dysfunctional district. For example, SPS assistant superintendent of HR, executive director of labor relations, director of labor relations and assistant superintendent of business and finance have left. As well, the district has managed to tick-off district administrators i.e. Franklin HS principal. It is also being reported that 20 percent of principals have left. So, who can evaluate whether the district's plan is feasible.

It seems to me that Brent Jones should have made a statement, by this point.
Anonymous said…
Also 100% with the teachers and I'm so grateful they are calling out the district special ed plan to the rest of us; the district sure wasn't telling. Well said, IEP-arent.
--k5mom
Tired said…
District policy says that the administration is supposed to reflect the student body. Yet, the Superintendent, the Head of HR, the Chief Academic Officer, and the Chief Equity Officer are all Black, in a district that is only 14% African American.

I don't particularly appreciate the teachers asking for a raise beyond a cost of living increase or the reluctance by teachers to return to the classroom after everyone was vaccinated. And I am empathetic to all students who have faced past discrimination and hardship, as well as thankful to the many wonderful Black staff and teachers who have helped my students.

But I will never trust an SPS administration that so blatantly violates its own policies and does not reflect the interests of all district families.

If the teachers say they are striking in students' interests, they have my 100% support.
Anonymous said…
And as SEA strikes for even more money, which will be paid for by students with disabilities and their no-limitz class sizes for students who have been screwed the most. Suddenly it’s for “the love of inclusion “ and to support the race baiting we’ve come to expect, “special ed is racist, and so is math, let’s kill it.” Well, guess what? Parents are on strike too. Striking by enrolling in private schools.

Reader
Anonymous said…
Chandra Hampson is why God invented Republicans. And they will be out in droves this year and next. She’s a done deal and will be repealed along with anything she’s touched. Everything is racist is such a large misread on the role of a school district.

Common Sense

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