Port Angeles teachers authorize strike ahead of Sept. 1 school start date

The Port Angeles Education Association has voted to strike over its new contract with the Port Angeles Public Schools. The current contract expires at the end of August, with an official start date for the 2021-2022 school year of Sept. 1.

Teachers with the Port Angeles School District are the second to authorize strike votes in the Puget Sound region. Educators with the Kent School District are currently taking to picket lines, telling KIRO Newsradio that they “are prepared to [strike] until [they] get a fair contract,” Kent teacher Reby Parsley said.

Striking Kent teachers prepare for long-haul: ‘We’ll be out here until we get a fair contract’

Educators with the North Thurston School District came to a tentative agreement with the district Tuesday.

Port Angeles Education Association consists of 250 educators in the Port Angeles Public Schools. With Tuesday’s strike vote authorization, they are prepared to take to picket lines to demand smaller class sizes and expanded planning periods.

“This is the last thing that educators want to do, start the year on strike. We have been trying to bargain for a very long time and have been pushed to this,” said Karen Doran from Dry Creek Elementary School. “We have little to no movement on planning time and class size. Both are essential to our ability to serve our students.”

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