Jake: Televise Seattle’s teacher contract negotiations — it’s public money

A lot of you might think this is crazy. But hear me out for a second, because I think it’s actually a pretty good idea.

There’s been a lot of back-and-forth in the news lately, now that Seattle Public Schools’ new superintendent, Ben Shuldiner, disclosed details of the ongoing Seattle Public Schools (SPS) negotiation with the Seattle Education Association in an email to district families.

In his newsletter, Shuldiner said he’d never done anything like this in his many years of negotiating with teachers’ unions, but he was also running into something he’d never dealt with until he got to Washington.

The union was pushing out selective information about the ongoing closed-door negotiations, and he felt the public needed to hear the other side too. So he laid out what SPS is offering and where the two sides are still far apart.

That got me thinking: why not just televise the whole negotiation?

This is public money being negotiated with a public union that’s threatening an illegal strike.

Plenty of you may think a strike is justified and that teachers deserve what they’re asking for; that’s a perfectly fine position to hold. But wouldn’t it be great if we all had a front-row seat to the action?

I’d never advocate for private-sector unions to negotiate on camera for the public to watch. That’s their private business. But these are public dollars, and for a lot of families, their kids’ education is being used as a leverage point.

Parents in this district have a double interest in knowing exactly what’s happening across that table. It’s their money being negotiated, and if the teachers strike, they have to come up with childcare at their own great expense or figure out some way to rearrange their work schedule to be home with their kids who should be in school.

Shuldiner’s message to parents struck me as refreshing and genuinely transparent. And I think a clear window into these negotiations, from both sides, would be good for everyone.

I realize that it wouldn’t be as easy as just flipping on a camera. I’m sure there are state laws that prevent this type of thing, but as we have seen in Washington, lawmakers are happy to change laws when it suits them. I do think this should be considered a serious idea.

Jake’s got an idea: if you’re negotiating contracts with public-dollar unions, put those negotiations on CCTV and let taxpayers watch live.

Spike: “Isn’t that shaming the other side?”
Jake: “It’s not shame. We’re watching. If you act shameful, that’s on you.” @jakespikeshow pic.twitter.com/0l700hW8T9

— KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM🎙 (@KIRONewsradio) August 31, 2026

I’d love to connect and hear your thoughts. Follow me on X and Instagram.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.