After months of negotiations and a tense weekend at the contract bargaining table, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) teachers will head back to the classroom tomorrow, Sept. 2, after all. The teachers, members of the 6,000-strong Seattle Education Association, and SPS reached a tentative agreement late Tuesday night. The first day of school for preschool and kindergarten students is Tuesday, Sept. 8.
The tentative agreement was announced on the SPS website and other outlets. If the full SEA membership approves it, the contract would replace their current agreement, which expired on Monday. As the bargaining progressed through Tuesday night, the district posted updates every two hours on its social media accounts and other platforms.
“SPS and SEA have agreed to begin the school year on time while continuing to finalize a tentative collective bargaining agreement,” the district announcement said. “We know the uncertainty surrounding the start of the school year has been difficult for our students, families, and staff. We appreciate your patience and understanding as both parties worked through the bargaining process.”
The tentative agreement followed a weekend of postering and a flurry of public communications on both sides, SEA membership authorization of a strike on Aug. 26, and a feisty teachers rally Tuesday afternoon. Over the last week, many parents in the 50,000-student district voiced frustration with the uncertainty as they scrambled to line up child care in case a strike were called.
But by Tuesday, things were looking up. Both the union and Superintendent Ben Shuldiner offered optimism to parents and the media. SEA reported “promising progress” by Tuesday morning, and by Tuesday afternoon, Shuldiner was “hopeful” during an afternoon press conference.
Shuldiner said he was “very thankful for SEA’s willingness to understand the deep need for change,” around one of the major negotiation disconnects: an overhaul of the district’s special education services.
While bargaining continued inside the John Stanford Center, several hundred teachers gathered for a boisterous rally outside Tuesday evening, specifically calling out their concern about changes to the district’s special education programs that were part of negotiations. Auri Cichomski, is a teacher at Cleveland High School but previously worked as an instructional assistant (IA). Cichomski said that he is worried about any agreements that would increase the student-to-teacher and IA ratios in special education classes, for example, moving from 10 students, one teacher and three instructional assistants in elementary classrooms to more students and fewer IAs.
“Students need their support. IAs are the ones who really get to know individual students’ IEPs,”Cichomski said. “They know the specific accommodations that are needed. When you take instructional assistants out of the classroom, students just don’t get served as well as they need to because it’s just a lot to ask for a teacher with 20-plus students and one instructional assistant to know every single accommodation.”
Teachers interviewed by Seattle’s Child were split on whether a strike would be called or a tentative agreement reached; all said they were ready to strike if necessary.
“But, in the best of all worlds,” said one 5th grade teacher, “I’ll be in class with my kids tomorrow because our teams has bargained the best contract for us and for the students.”
At least for tomorrow, she’ll be enjoying the return-to-the-classroom part of world. It was not known at on Tuesday when the unions members would vote on the tentative agreement.
