Updates on SEA/SPS Contracts

 I was going to write my own but this write-up from The Bulletin has loads of good info. Apparently, the talks are going slowly with less than a month to go when school starts.

Here are some points to keep in mind:

- The Superintendent and staff negotiate with SEA officials. The Board has no role in negotiations but can encourage the Superintendent to come to a timely agreement. Plus:

At the July 8 board meeting, Director Joe Mizrahi proposed a resolution regarding bargaining. The resolution calls for the Superintendent to "continue to engage in collective bargaining in good faith and in a manner that reflects mutual respect, transparency, and a collaborative approach with the District’s labor partners.” It also calls for the Superintendent to “negotiate agreements that advance the District’s long-term fiscal well-being” to tackle the district’s budget challenges.

Mizrahi’s resolution passed unanimously.

The Board can also authorize the Superintendent to take legal action against a strike but that is an unlikely happening. 

- Since at least 2012 nearly every negotiation between SEA and SPS has led to a strike authorization vote, with an actual strike taking place in 2015 and 2022. Last year, SEA and SPS agreed to extend the 2022 contract by another year, but that is unlikely to happen this time. 

It’s likely that the public would show that same level of strong support for educators in the event of a potential 2026 strike, but that cannot be assured. Seattle has been a pro-union city for over a century, and has repeatedly stood by its teachers. 

- I won't go over all the items that SEA wants to talk about for the contract but there are a couple of interesting statements from them.

1) SEA says their proposals around wages and benefits seek to balance “what SPS can afford, how SEA’s contract compares with others in the area, and how it compares with the cost of living in King County.” They call for “competitive wages” for all employees covered by the contract, as well as higher percentage increases for Office Professionals and Paraprofessionals.

To note, SPS hurt itself by the 2022 contract wherein they did not have the money for the raises. 

SEA claimed that SPS could afford the 2022 contract by using money it had in extra fund balance. SEA has made similar arguments this year. 

To which I say - what fund balance? 

2) Reflecting growing public concern about the use of tech in the classroom, SEA also made specific proposals limiting the use of AI. They want SPS to commit that they “shall not implement, utilize or promote AI Systems that eliminate, reduce, or replace work traditionally performed by bargaining unit members without prior written agreement.” 

SEA also wants to prevent AI from being used to evaluate or discipline its members, and that they will never be required to use AI “as part of their delivery of whole class or small group instruction.”

Oh, not that AI might be bad for kids, they just want to address what affects them in their contract. I'm sorry it comes across like that to me. 

-This summer they published a Seattle Public Schools: Financials at A Glance one-pager, sharing their perspective on SPS’s budget position.

In that document, SEA argues that “reprioritizing the district’s expenditures” could “free up resources.” 

And then we come to a part of the story that I had put off until talking about SEA negotiations. Namely, that the newly elected president of SEA, Ibijoke Idowu, is on extended leave from her work as a special education teacher at Rising Star ES and has been since last December. 

Both the Times and KUOW have had stories on this issue. From The Bulletin:

A petition to initiate a recall of Idowu from her position as SEA president has over 450 signatures as of Friday afternoon. In order to initiate a recall, the petition must collect signatures from at least 10% of its active members. In June, a union leader estimated there are roughly 5,582 members in the union.

“We cannot be a strong union when we are compromised by criminal and district investigations into serious allegations,” the petition reads.

The majority of Seattle Education Association (SEA) members did not have this information when they voted in the SEA presidential election.  As a result, members were unable to make a fully-informed election decision. 

Gotta say, that if most members were not advised of her current status, that was not fair to the membership. 

Others have launched a petition in support of Idowu, to protect her from what they describe as “targeted harassment, intimidation & cultural bias.” That petition has nearly 600 signatures so far.

From KUOW:

More than a dozen people were interviewed between December 2025 and June 2026, including instructional assistants, a behavioral assistant, alleged victims, and witnesses. None of the interviewees said they witnessed the specific incident that caused the bruises on the boy’s arm. But three witnesses said they saw Idowu “grab” students in a rough manner other times, whether by their hand, shirt, or arm. At least two witnesses said they did not see any unusual physical interactions between Idowu and students.

The investigation did conclude that Idowu tossed a book at a student, hitting him in the stomach, but it did not find evidence to support allegations Idowu pulled students’ hair or that she grabbed the wrist of one student. The report did determine that Idowu would yell “I don’t care about your crying” when students would cry in front of her.

In a statement to The Seattle Times last week, Idowu contested the findings of the investigation, and said the report did not include statements from witnesses who said they didn’t witness any physical intervention that could cause bruising.

From The Bulletin:

According to the Seattle Times, the student’s parents filed a report with Seattle police, who referred the case to the King County Prosecutor. That office declined to file felony charges against Idowu. Police then referred the case to the Seattle City Attorney, who has yet to decide on whether to file lesser charges. 

The parents also filed a tort claim in King County Superior against Idowu in late July, according to KUOW, which has more details on what the student’s family claimed happened.

EA’s elected bargaining team conducts negotiations with SPS, and determines when they have reached a tentative agreement. The SEA membership then ratifies or rejects the agreement. 

The SEA president is not part of that bargaining team, nor do they decide alone whether to ratify an agreement or authorize a strike.

But a union’s president is also its leader and its most visible public figure. If negotiations with SPS break down and a strike is called, it remains to be seen whether Idowu’s alleged conduct would impact public perceptions of a strike.

Yes, negotiations can go on but this situation just doesn't seem good for the teachers especially as they are negotiating a new contract AND preparing for the new school year.