There will be no school in Seattle on Monday as negotiations between Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Education Association continue. The District released bargaining information to clarify their position. The SEA released a statement as well that expresses their disappointment.

Bargaining Information SPS and SEA for 2022-23 School Year

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is committed to ensuring a strong, student-focused school year.

As part of this commitment, we are providing updates to the community related to our bargaining process with our professional educators who are represented by the Seattle Education Association (SEA).

District and SEA teams are collaborating over the summer to come to a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). This process will negotiate a renewal of the SPS educators’ contract for the 2022-23 school year.

More info go to - https://www.seattleschools.org/.../collective-bargaining.../

SPS Proposed Salary and Additional Staffing

Fiscal Year 2022-23

All SEA members including substitutes – 6.5% inclusive of IPD (Implicit Price Deflator is similar to a cost of living increase)

All stipends and Certificated extra-time – 5.5%

Removal of the first two steps for all SAEOP and Paraprofessional salary schedules with staff on step 1 moved to step 3 and staff on step 2 moved to step 4

Remove first pay grade on all SAEOP and Paraprofessional salary schedules and move staff to same step on second grade

$2,000 incentive for teachers working in SPS for three years and earning an English Language or Dual Language endorsement (staff may receive only once).

$1,000 incentive for teachers having already worked in SPS for three years and currently holding an English Language or Dual Language endorsement (staff may receive only once).

Induction Program investment – fixed dollar amount of $70,000 one year only

0.5 FTE Social Worker added to each comprehensive middle and high school

Onetime $50,000 library materials for Equity Tier 1 schools

School based family support workers resources of $1,000 per school

504 extra time per school – $200 for <301, $400 <601, $600 <901, $800<1201, $1,000 over 1200

Fiscal Year 2023-24

2.5% or IPD whichever is higher for all SEA members including substitutes (IPD- Implicit Price Deflator is similar to a cost of living increase)

Continued incentive for EL or DL endorsement.

Add five (5 FTE) classified nurses to schools.

Fiscal Year 2024-25

2.5% or IPD whichever is higher for all SEA members including substitutes (IPD- Implicit Price Deflator is similar to a cost of living increase)

Continued incentive for EL or DL endorsement.

Add five additional (5 FTE) classified nurses to schools

From the SEA-

The school board is letting our students down

Our strength continues to move the district and we are at the point in negotiations where we are so, so close… we need to keep up the pressure to get the school board and district to make that last movement to get to an agreement that meets students’ needs.

We had planned an update for last night, but in all transparency, we kept delaying it because we really thought we could get to agreement. Then at 11pm the SPS team passed us the counterproposals we thought could be a deal, but instead they were hugely disappointing. It’s unacceptable that SPS does not understand what our schools need so they are instead distracted by issues that won’t impact our ability to support students.

For example, we are asking for mental health supports, particularly in buildings with the highest need. In their response to us, SPS is applying their either/or, scarcity-based thinking, proposing to give our students just 0.5 FTE social workers in high schools and rejecting our proposal for supports for elementary, middle, and K-8.

SPS and the school board need to make significant movement to meet student needs in order to gets us to agreement. We are back at the bargaining table with SPS today. We need to take action to compel them to get there.

Together, we continue to turn up the heat on the school board:

Our picket lines are showing our unity and strength and are the most powerful and important tactic we have.

The community has made hundreds of phone calls and sent more than 5,000 emails to the school board.

If the school board still fails to get to agreement by Wednesday, we will rally outside the JSCEE during the school board meeting.

Our message is getting out through our local and national news media, plus we’re investing in paid advertising to call our community to action. (The Seattle Times has had some great coverage this week about why we’re striking and lifting student voices, and we’re also drawing attention from national outlets like CNN, ABC, and The 19th.)

Throughout the bargain, we have shown that we are united for our students.

Observing September 11

September 11 has very different meanings for our communities, and each year SEA members struggle to share with students the story of both great loss of life that day and of the devastating racism and war that followed. We honor the first responders who gave their lives to save others and the soldiers who sacrificed to serve our nation. We also point to how the Islamophobia that followed has caused discrimination, hate crimes, and loss of life. And we lift up the stories of refugees who have come here because our nation’s war of retaliation has destroyed their homes and communities.

NEA has collected resources and curricula, and rethinking schools offers their free e-book Teaching About the Wars.