Families of Seattle Public Schools students prepare for possible strike
Aug 31, 2026, 4:55 AM
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and the union for 6,000 of its teachers and other staff have until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday to agree on a new contract.
If they don’t, members of the Seattle Education Association said they will strike on what was supposed to be the first day of the school year, Sept. 2.
“I really like school,” said Owen, a fourth grader, as he skateboarded with his little sister and father at Roxhill Park in West Seattle, Sunday. He said he’d be disappointed if school didn’t start on Wednesday.
But a strike would delay the start of the school year for about 50,000 students at more than 100 schools in the Seattle Public School District.
The last teachers’ strike in the district was in 2022. The five-day walk-out had families scrambling to find last-minute childcare. And families are once again considering their options.
“I’m just going to plan on staying home this week, no matter what,” Matt Becker said. “And if it goes on beyond that, well, I really don’t have a contingency plan at this time, I’m sorry to say so.”
A young mother named Jennifer at the park said if there is a strike, she can’t go into work.
“I don’t have any childcare options,” she said.
“Luckily in my scenario, my wife is at home so she can take care of the kiddos, and so that’s lucky for us,” said Owen’s father, Jay Wiitala, who acknowledged it would be tough for families who don’t have that option.
During the district’s last teachers strike, the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Clubs offered expanded childcare services for families who were already members. The city of Seattle offered drop-in recreation activity hubs at eight community centers. But those programs filled up quickly and thousands of families were left out.
Despite the possibility of a strike, parents KIRO 7 spoke to seemed sympathetic.
“I support what the teachers are going for. Everyone wants to get fair pay and all that fun stuff,” Wiitala said. “So that makes sense to me. We’ve got to take care of those folks that are teaching our kids.”
