By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Dogged progress continued this evening as Seattle Public Schools and its teachers’ union bargain to reach a contract agreement before the start of school. Tomorrow marks 1 week until classes start, and it is also when Seattle Education Association (SEA) members will have their general membership meeting to vote on a tentative agreement, if one is reached by then, or to strike.
As we reported earlier this month, bargaining started in June, with barely a handful of agreements reached by a week ago, and 57 issues total to resolve. “Right now, the biggest sticking points are Special Education supports, respectful pay, and class size,” SEA spokesperson Julie Popper told WSB this afternoon. She says SEA is committed to be at the table 12 hours a day every day until an agreement is reached. As of this week, there were still 50 issues remaining, which makes it difficult to imagine how nearly all of those could be resolved by this time tomorrow. Popper says there was progress today, but nothing monumental. “We hope to reach a few issue tentative agreements by the end of the day, but we haven’t made headway today on our biggest issues.”
(SEA graphic showing bargaining progress)
SEA members have been working under a contract negotiated in 2022, when a strike delayed the start of school by a week. It was a 3-year contract, and last year, SEA voted to continue under that same contract. SPS has had limited comment on bargaining, but just this evening released a statement from District Superintendent Ben Shuldiner on progress so far:
Bargaining continues in good faith and with respect for our labor partners. The opportunity for conversation and progress remains.
I want to recognize the extraordinary efforts of the Seattle Public Schools bargaining team. Our team members have been working diligently to move negotiations forward, meeting throughout the weekend and continuing their round-the-clock efforts every day this week. Their dedication reflects a shared commitment to finding mutual agreement.
SPS is working to open the school year successfully with an agreement that centers our students, supports our educators, and keeps our school district fiscally viable into the future.
Assuring that viability is contingent on the outcome of a scheduled school board meeting, which includes a vote on whether to approve the $1.3 billion 2026-2027 school year budget, along with budget plan summaries and enrollment projections for the next 4 years. The SEA membership and SPS board meetings will happen simultaneously.
If a tentative agreement is not reached and approved and SEA votes to strike tomorrow evening, Popper says to expect the bargaining team back at the table the very next morning. “Bargaining will continue until we reach an agreement.”