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Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Will Seattle Public Schools Teachers Strike?

Thousands of parents in the Seattle Public Schools district are wondering as they wait to find out if the teachers will strike. Dozens of parents and community members signed an open letter sent to the district last week. The members are siding with the teachers, and holding the district responsible if school doesn’t start on time. The district and the teacher’s union continue to bargain over pay, support for special education students and class sizes, among other issues.

Thousands of families in Seattle will be impacted if a teacher strike goes into effect. The big decision on if teachers with Seattle Public schools will authorize a strike is expected by Tuesday, and families are anxious about what the outcome will be. The district said it’s working on a plan to provide pick-up meals and is reaching out to community childcare providers to support families if school is delayed. Officials with the Seattle Education Association said bargaining was supposed to start Sunday at 1 p.m. 

Media have learned that meeting did happen and has reached out to the school district for comment. At press time, the result of the teachers’ vote on whether to strike should be revealed on Tuesday. Then there was the warning. Seattle Public Schools officials warn that the academic year probably won’t start as scheduled Wednesday, after the district and the local teachers union failed to reach an agreement on a new contract over Labor Day weekend.

It is voting time. The members of the Seattle Education Association are voting through 9am Tuesday on whether to authorize a strike. The results will be announced later Tuesday morning. Should union members vote yes, the strike will start Wednesday morning, unless a deal is reached sometime later Tuesday. That would delay the start of classes until the impasse is resolved.

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A huge issue is the district’s proposal for integrating special education students into general education classrooms. Union members say they support that idea. But they say they want a firmer written commitment regarding the level of support and staffing students will receive under the new model.

Over the Labor Day weekend, the district proposed a memorandum of understanding that would have let school start as scheduled Wednesday, even as negotiations for a new contract continue. Under that agreement, the district would ask the school board to ensure that any pay raises approved in the future contract apply retroactively, dating back to Sept. 1. In return, the teachers union would agree not to strike. The union rejected that offer, calling it “a distraction.”

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