Update Sept 8

School officials announced that there will be no school on Friday after members of the teachers’ union failed to reach an agreement with SPS.

Update Sept. 7

Seattle Public Schools announced that the opening day of school is cancelled again for Sept. 8. The issues the Seattle Education Association is seeking to address are pay, mental health support, plus staffing ratios for special education and multilingual students.

Seattle Public Schools said the would notify parents by 3pm if school is cancelled for Friday Sept. 9.

Original Post Sept. 6

Negotiations between the Seattle Education Association and Seattle Public Schools failed to reach a point of agreement on Tuesday, one day before the scheduled start of the school year. As a result  53,973 students must wait until the dispute is resolved. Teachers had previously authorized a strike vote if no new agreement was reached by the end of the day on Tuesday. Before school athletics will still take place. The strike will officially begin at 7:30 a.m. if the union and the district fail to reach an agreement before that time.

The issues revolve around pay, staffing and support for Special Education and Multilingual programs. SEA maintains that caseloads are too high and SPS has proposed cuts.

SPS sent this letter:

No School Wednesday, Sept 7

Dear SPS Families, Staff and Community,

Seattle Public Schools will not start school as planned on Wednesday, Sept. 7, because of a planned work stoppage by Seattle Education Association (SEA).

Student meals will be provided at several school sites. Free sack lunches are available for all students and will be available for pick up from approximately 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. We are also reaching out to community childcare providers to help support our families. We expect after-school athletics will continue, even if there is a delay in the start of school. We will publish details about student meals, childcare, and additional resources. Please visit our Family Resource webpage for locations and details.

Seattle Public Schools respects our educators and staff. We are optimistic the bargaining teams will come to a positive solution for students, staff, and families. Negotiations with SEA are ongoing. We are looking forward to beginning school and welcoming students and staff for the 2022-23 school year.

Please check your email, text messages, or voicemail for updates. Information can also be found on the district website.

Please send us questions using our Let’s Talk online form.

Sincerely,

Office of Public Affairs

Seattle Public Schools