Seattle teachers approve contract; Snoqualmie votes for strike
Sep 3, 2013, 5:41 AM | Updated: Sep 4, 2013, 9:43 am
Teachers picket outside Nathan Eckstein Middle School in Seattle. Worries that the school year may not start on time have been quelled, after Seattle teachers voted to approve a new two-year contract. (Brandi Kruse/KIRO Radio via Twitter)
(Brandi Kruse/KIRO Radio via Twitter)
School started on time Wednesday in Seattle after teachers voted Tuesday evening to approve a new two-year deal.
School also began as scheduled in the Snoqualmie Valley School District, but teachers there voted overwhelmingly late Tuesday to strike if they can’t reach a contract agreement by Sunday.
The district and its teachers remain far apart on issues of pay and class size.
The new agreement approved by Seattle teachers includes a 2.5 percent pay raise for the upcoming school year, and a two percent increase for 2014-15.
The contract, approved on a voice vote following a meeting at Benaroya Hall, calls for elementary teachers to work an additional 30 minutes per day on planning and collaboration. And it keeps in place a contested system of evaluating teachers based on student test scores while a new state-mandated system for evaluations is developed.
The Seattle School District says kindergarten at some schools does not start until Monday, Sept. 9. Those schools have informed families of the later start date.
Teachers in the South Kitsap School District have approved their contract and school will start Wednesday as scheduled, according to the Kitsap Sun.
