An agreement has been reached between the Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Education Association. The agreement is still tentative until ratified by members. The three year labor contract is for certificated staff and covers school years 2010-2011 up to 2012-2013.

The announcement was made by Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D.

From the Seattle Public Schools press release:

“I am so pleased that our collaboration with teachers has us so close to reaching agreement on a new contract,” said Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D., Superintendent. “This agreement strengthens the excellent collaborative work of teachers and administrators to create a teacher support system that will benefit all of our children.”

SEA membership is scheduled to vote on the tentative agreement on September 2. If the agreement is ratified by SEA members, the Seattle School Board then will vote on the final agreement.

“Including student growth measures as part of the new evaluation ensures that principals and teachers have the tools and information to focus on how well students are learning and what we need to do to boost academic achievement in every classroom,” Dr. Goodloe-Johnson said. “All of our teachers deserve a professional system of support that helps them as they challenge and support their students to learn and grow every year. Now our educators need time to review and understand the information in this tentative agreement so that they are prepared to vote this Thursday.”
Seattle School Board Director Steve Sundquist thanked the SEA and SPS leadership and negotiating teams for their efforts to reach a tentative agreement.
“We pledged to work together for the good of our students, and I am proud of this collaborative effort,” Sundquist said. “Each family deserves to know that no matter where their children attend school, every child can walk into the classroom each day knowing they will be challenged and supported to do their very best. We all look forward to a timely start to an excellent new school year. “

Additional details of the agreement, fast facts and frequently asked questions will be posted later today at http://www.seattleschools.org/area/laborrelations/index.dxml