First Day of School Delayed as Seattle Teachers Union Goes on Strike
Students at Seattle Public Schools didn’t return to school on Wednesday as planned after teachers union members overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike.
Ninety-five percent of union members approved a strike authorization in a Tuesday vote, according to the Seattle Education Association. Seventy-five percent of its 6,000 members voted to deprive Seattle’s 50,000 students of a timely start to the school year, the union said.
“Educators want to be in the classrooms with their students and need SPS to give those students the supports and adult attention they deserve,” the SEA said in a statement.
“Seattle Public Schools respects our educators and staff. We are optimistic the bargaining teams will come to a positive solution for students, staff, and families,” the district said in a statement sent to parents on Tuesday. “Negotiations with SEA are ongoing. We are looking forward to beginning school and welcoming students and staff for the 2022-23 school year.”
Picket lines formed at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning after negotiators failed to reach an agreement.
The strike authorization comes after months of failed negotiations between Seattle Public Schools and the teachers union, which is demanding higher pay and that the district maintain certain staffing ratios for special education and multilingual students.
The district proposed a memorandum of understanding over the weekend that would have allowed the first day of classes to take place as scheduled while negotiations continue. The agreement would have seen the district ask the school board to guarantee that any pay raises approved in the eventual contract apply retroactively and would have required the teachers union to agree not to strike.
The union did not take up the district’s offer, labeling it a “distraction.”
“You can’t pay us to stop advocating for student supports,” union president Jennifer Matter said in a statement.
District officials warned families late Sunday that a delayed start to the school year was “likely.”
“Starting school on Wednesday is what is best for our students,” the email said. “We understand this uncertainty about a delay is difficult and unsettling for our students, staff, and families.”
