Nearly 50,000 Seattle students expected to be getting ready for the first day of school, but are instead bracing for a potential teachers strike that could delay the first day of school Wednesday.
At a daily news conference Tuesday afternoon, Superintendent Ben Shuldiner said he was hopeful" that the progress made in negotiations with the Seattle Education Association, which went past 1 a.m. Tuesday, signaled that Seattle Public Schools could avoid a strike in the final hour.
He said the district will provide updates about bargaining every two hours on the district's social media platforms and website, through the night.
Shuldiner declined to comment on the specifics of the progress made, but did say that special education and pay are two of the items they are “passing paper back and forth” on — meaning in active negotiation over.
“We’ve been moving back and forth at such a quick speed. What that says to me is that people really want to try to get this done,” Shuldiner said. “I’m very thankful for SEA’s willingness to understand the deep need for change. I think that the fact that we are able to now have ideas on paper that we can talk about is really powerful.”
He declined to give a concrete cutoff time where the district will confirm whether a strike will happen, likening the decision to calling a snow day, which can come in early hours of the morning.
"Our hope is that we're going to have some real answer before the end of the night," Shuldiner said. "My hope is to have an answer way before midnight."
Shuldiner also confirmed that, in the event of a strike, bagged breakfast and lunches will be available at all schools for students to receive from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday. "Food is important," said Shuldiner, saying there will be no verification of student status to access those meals. "Our job is to serve children — we want to reduce barriers," he said.
Students and families will have to find their own way to school to get that food though — the bus system will not be running, Shuldiner said.
He also told parents to “please call your principal” to better understand exactly what will be provided at individual schools.
As of press time, no agreement had been reached, and the strike was likely to begin Wednesday morning — with teachers picketing at all 106 schools in the district during regular school hours, beginning at 7:50 a.m. for elementary schools and 8:50 a.m. for middle and high schools.
While wages are often the primary sticking point in contract negotiations, right now all eyes are on changes to the district’s special education programming and staffing. The union presented its latest proposal on the issue to the district around 8 p.m. Monday, and both sides went back and forth on it for the rest of the night.
The union confirmed that all items are being discussed at the table Tuesday, not just changes to special education programs.
While their colleagues were upstairs at the bargaining table Tuesday evening, about 400 teachers and supporters rallied outside the district's John Stanford Center headquarters in Sodo, wearing red, making signs, listening to speeches and chanting “What do we want? A fair contract! When do we want it? Now!”
Chellie Lafayette, a physical education teacher at Highland Park Elementary, who has worked at SPS since 1997, came out to the rally for special education students.
“I’m here 95% because of the cuts they are trying to make to special ed,” Lafayette said. “We have a phenomenal program for what is called extended resource, kids with behavioral challenges. If they go through with what (the district) wants, it will be gutted.”
“We are breaking things that are working,” Lafayette added.
Students in special education at her school have a ratio of 10 students to one teacher and three instructional aides, she said. If the district’s changes go through, she's worried the ratio of students to adults will be much higher.
“There are really no other places you can cut besides kids who have special needs?" she asked. "It’s ridiculous.”
She’s expecting to strike Wednesday and said she can't accept the district's special ed proposal.
“I would be shocked if we have a contract (before school starts Wednesday),” Lafayette said.
Some of her peers were less sure about what might happen.
“I have no idea what my next 24 hours is going to look like,” said Aubrey Frantzen, an instructional assistant working for the district's BRIDGES program at Garfield High School.
Frantzen is most passionate about retaining the current staff to student ratios for the special education students he works with. If ratios are larger you have “way less time to think about the specific need of students,” he said.
Many teachers showing their support Tuesday had been preparing for two very different scenarios: the first day of school and being on a picket line outside their campus.
Teachers had spent the day in school buildings, working past their current contract, which ended when the month changed to September. They are hoping to be prepared for the first day students come back to school, even if it isn’t Wednesday.
“I’m not going to lie, (I’m feeling) anxious,” Isaura Jiménez Guerra, SEA’s Center for Racial and Social Justice director, said at the rally. “I know so many of our educators have been getting ready in their classrooms — just in case, no matter what happens — to be ready for whenever the first day of school is.”
In 2022 when the teachers last went on strike, Guerra said most members were united on forgoing pay raises if it meant paraeducators and the district's lowest- paid workers would get a bump.
“I’ve been hearing the same thing (this year),” Guerra said.
One week ago, union members voted to authorize a strike if no agreement is reached by the end of the day Tuesday.
As of Sunday, the union and district had reached agreements on 12 of the 57 items that would result in a complete tentative contract. That’s five more items ticked off the list since last week's vote, including several agreements pertaining to classified staff — meaning those who do not hold a state certification, such as paraeducators, instructional aides and secretaries. The agreements reached last week include a mentorship committee and referral and screening protocols for classified staff, as well as updates to representation rights, including access to personnel files and arbitration rights for terminated staff.
Seattle School Board President Gina Topp issued a statement Tuesday afternoon on behalf of the School Board.
“We urge SEA and SPS to reach an agreement today so kids can start classes tomorrow and avoid serious disruptions to families," she wrote. "The agreement must support kids, special education needs, and recognize educators’ value and professionalism."
Topp went on to note that the district is "facing a fiscal crisis," and that any contract "also needs to be financially responsible."
She concluded: The goal is simple: kids in class tomorrow.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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