Seattle Times Editorial Board Speaks Out
And it's a doozy. I'm off to a protest this morning but I'll do some analysis later. Whenever Seattle’s teachers threaten to strike, they always claim their advocacy is for the kids. But it’s hard to take that seriously. Because, in fact, they don’t need to strike at all. As Superintendent Ben Shuldiner said in a blistering email to parents on Sunday night — three days before the start of the new school year — the Seattle Education Association, which represents about 6,000 of the district’s educators, could work under their current contract even after it expires Monday night, while continuing to negotiate with Seattle Public Schools. Teachers would continue to be paid, and they’d get their raises retroactively, as soon as a new agreement is signed. “We are not the NFL owners who lock out our players trying to exact concessions or givebacks,” the superintendent wrote. “There is absolutely no reason to strike other than to flex power.” In the maelstrom of innuendo...