Could the SPS/SEA Contract Negotiations Be Open? Not This Time But Yes
I did a search and the AI answer covered a lot of ground so that's what I'm putting up here. I will say that I suspect that SPS as well as SEA both do NOT want to do this. But it can be done and HAS been done in Washington State.
Yes, there are many examples of school districts across the United States that engage in open negotiations (also known as "transparent bargaining," "public bargaining," or "sunshine bargaining").
While traditional teacher contract talks happen behind closed doors, open negotiations allow community members, parents, and journalists to physically attend or digitally stream the sessions.
Specific real-world examples include:
1. Pullman School District (Washington)
In 2017, the Pullman School District became one of the first in Washington state to pass a resolution requiring collective bargaining to take place in public.
How it works: All bargaining sessions with the teachers' union are hosted in the high school community boardroom and are open to public observation. Guests sit on the periphery and can watch the process, though they cannot actively participate or ask questions.
2. Chicago Public Schools (Illinois)
During high-profile contract disputes, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) have utilized open bargaining to increase accountability.
How it works: CPS has taken transparency a step further than simple in-person observation by livestreaming entire negotiation sessions online for the public, parents, and city residents to watch in real-time.
3. State-Wide Open Bargaining (Oregon and Florida)
In some parts of the country, open negotiations are driven by state law rather than individual district choices:
Oregon: School districts across Oregon have been bargaining in public for decades due to legislative changes that opened up public sector union talks to community observation.
Florida: Florida’s robust "Government in the Sunshine" laws mandate that collective bargaining sessions between public school districts and teachers' unions must be open to the public.
Other Notable Local Examples
Kennewick School District (WA): Followed a similar trajectory to Pullman by opening up its local union contract talks to public observation.
Tukwila School District (WA): Another early adopter in Washington that integrated transparent union bargaining sessions into its governance model.
The Spectrum of "Open" Negotiations
Districts that implement open bargaining typically choose from a few different levels of transparency:
- Silent Public Observation: The public can sit in the room, but only the official district and union teams speak.
- Digital Transparency: The sessions remain physically closed, but all formal proposals, counter-proposals, and financial spreadsheets are uploaded to a public website within 24–48 hours of a meeting.
- Caucuses Remain Private: In almost all "open" setups, both the school district board and the teachers' union retain the right to retreat into private "caucuses" to discuss strategy, secrets, and internal compromises before returning to the public table.
Comments
I found this part very interesting,
"To put this in perspective, the salary line that the greatest number of teachers are in (1060 teachers), has a base wage of $118,716 for 180 days of work. Then they get $3,298 for 5 extra contractual days, another $2,638 for 4 "tech days" and then $17,932 for TRI days.
Thus, taking the total wage to $142,584. And this does not include any other benefits, retirement, stipends, extra hours, or other payments that some teachers receive."
-are SPS teachers overpaid?
The superintendent wanted to paint SEA as petulant, entitled, immature (#poopemojigate) but I walked away having a bad taste in my mouth for everyone involved.
So, here:💩
Just as Shuldiner has never had a union or association share so publicly, I have never considered myself a litigious person---until I dealt with this district.
I get it sounds relatable because Ben is really good at writing emails and consistently puts in the work by sending his weekly newsletters. But the reality of schools is much different than his 1 visit to each of them. The changes they are making are not sustainable for staff and students especially with their model of special education they are proposing. I have many real lived experiences and how litigious SPED is when there is not enough support. But I get he is here to close a deficit. That is why he is hired. But please know it is not to the benefit of students as he says. And when there is not enough SPED support and people are put on leave (I can share many stories) that costs the district more money.
I am a teacher because I love the direct impact I make each day in students' lives regardless of the policy the district imposes and I will keep showing up as many of us do but a lot of good educators get burned out because of all the hoops we have to jump through and the lack of concrete supports. Our jobs are heavy and we carry it all regardless so kids can learn. It takes a direct toll on educators.
I want to express that the staff at your child's building work hard. And under the proposals the district is putting out, we lose our autonomy and are responsible for learning nonetheless but it is truly very challenging when we are not equipped with IAs and other people in the bldg to help us do our job.
District employees almost never step foot in schools. So when Ben sends these emails (kudos to him for visiting every school once) and listens to his staff that don't know what it's actually like in buildings they are responsible for because they also never step foot inside schools unless it is their annual bells and whistles hour long tour, I don't feel like they are being genuine when they say they are here for students.
When he ends by saying we don't have to strike, the problem is, if we don't as a union, show up and put pressure on the district (after all the pressure they constantly put on educators) then we won't reach a fair contract.
Lastly I want to say I have been a public school teacher for 14 years now. And there is honestly not another profession I have seen where so many people have such strong opinions about what we do, how we do it, what we are paid when those same people have rarely if ever stepped into classrooms on a regular basis. In education, policy makers hold the power to create systemic changes, who pass it onto superintendents who pass it onto admin who pass it onto educators and then we pass it onto students. Educators have no real power in education and so when bargaining comes up, it is our only time when we can exercise our power together to make any changes.
So in conclusion, nobody wants to strike. It is extremely hard to picket for 7.5 hours each day (I have already done it twice). But it is worth it for us to make a fair contract. I hope you continue to support your educators and staff that show up each day and are the ones that actually do the hard work of being there for your children (and not be swayed by the nice words of Ben and the district).
Sarah Pritchett Overview
Sarah Pritchett in 2025 was employed at Seattle Public Schools and had an annual salary of $275,616, according to public records. This salary was 187 percent higher than the average and 199 percent higher than the median salary in Seattle Public Schools.
Seattle Public Schools records show Sarah Pritchett held two jobs from 2019 to 2025. From 2022 to 2025 Sarah Pritchett held job of Supervisor Director.
According to the public records employee's salary increased by $9,839 from 2024 to 2025, which is a 3.7 percent rise. Since 2019, the salary has increased by $90,946, a total rise of 49.3 percent.
Theodore Howard II Overview
Theodore Howard II in 2023 was employed at Seattle Public Schools and had an annual salary of $250,032, according to public records. This salary was 179 percent higher than the average and 192 percent higher than the median salary in Seattle Public Schools.
Seattle Public Schools records show Theodore Howard II held two jobs from 2020 to 2025. From 2023 to 2025 Theodore Howard II held job of Supervisor Director.
According to the public records employee's salary increased by $86,796 from 2020 to 2021, which is a 53.2 percent rise.
Researcher
Marni Campbell in 2025 was employed at Seattle Public Schools and had an annual salary of $275,615, according to public records. This salary was 187 percent higher than the average and 199 percent higher than the median salary in Seattle Public Schools.
From govsakarues.com
Seattle Public Schools records show Marni Campbell held two jobs from 2020 to 2025. From 2023 to 2025 Marni Campbell held job of Supervisor Director.
According to the public records employee's salary increased by $52,456 from 2024 to 2025, which is a 23.5 percent rise. Since 2020, the salary has increased by $119,693, a total rise of 76.8 percent.
Researcher
Katrina Hunt in 2024 was employed at Seattle Public Schools and had an annual salary of $223,113, according to public records. This salary was 141 percent higher than the average and 151 percent higher than the median salary in Seattle Public Schools.
Seattle Public Schools records show Katrina Hunt held two jobs from 2020 to 2025. From 2024 to 2025 Katrina Hunt held job of Other District Admin.
According to the public records employee's salary increased by $46,939 from 2023 to 2024, which is a 26.6 percent rise. Since 2020, the salary has increased by $71,650, a total rise of 47.3 percent.
- That’s all
People who work in municipal, state, and federal jobs are NOT feeding at "the public trough." You can believe whatever you want but your tone is disrespectful and therefore, unhelpful.
I am a little surprised that SEA wants more than a token raise (plus the state bump). They want Special Ed aides in the classroom but ALSO everyone gets a raise. I do not see how this is possible in the current state of the district. I would love to see Schuldiner take a big swing for the fences in reducing administrative jobs especially new ones.
SPS proposal is horrendous but why is SEA not showing their counter? Have you noticed they are only using the “before” and the initial proposal? Not defending SPS but in bargaining you start somewhere (typically bad for the counter part) and then you NEGOTIATE until you can meet the other side (ideally in the middle).
I feel manipulated.
Hmmmmm
I 100% agree. All this information that was in his email about teacher salary has been accessible to the public for years. Their contracts going back for 10+ years are all available on the internet. None of this is actually new. None of it has been hidden. I've broken it down before and posted some of it in old comments here, sometimes other places. But as a rule, the mere posting of actual documented reality has been met with howls of protest, denouncements and diversion.
What the superintendent has just done was create a permission structure for those of us who have been infuriated at SEA's public lies with zero pushback from hacks like Brent Jones and a pliant school board. I don't know if there are enough of us to be a majority vs. the ideological mob but I know there are more than internet opinion would make it appear. Previously, the faintest suggestion that maybe, possibly SPS teachers are actually paid pretty well would have been grounds for cancellation. Before, the mob would just assume - correctly - the "leaders" like Jones and the spineless jellyfish of prior school board's would never call SEA out.
No more. Fire has been met with fire. Let's see how much support SEA really has from parents now that they've been given official permission to question SEA's propaganda in public. The bullies have finally been punched in the mouth.
-Seeing Red