SEATTLE, Sept. 9 (UPI) — Last-minute contract talks broke down Tuesday between a teachers union and the Seattle School Board and, failing to avert a strike and prompting schools to close Wednesday.
Wednesday was supposed to be the first day of the 2015-16 school year for students in Seattle Public Schools. Some 53,000 students will not attend classes as teachers hit the picket line for the first time in 30 years.
The school board has said it is “hopeful” talks will resume.
The Seattle Public Schools has faced fights over funding, a problem exacerbated by a Washington state Supreme Court ruling last week finding much of the law funding the new charter school system unconstitutional. The court instituted a 20-day ultimatum that would dissolve existing charter schools like Summit Sierra School if legislators do not come up with a different way of funding the system.
The charter school debacle affects nine schools and about 1,200 students, but the crowd clamoring for funding there joins that of parents, students and organizations seeking funding for traditional schools they want to preserve. Though both groups have different end goals, both seek better funding laws from the state legislature.
The announcement of the strike came after the school board gave teachers an offer with no compromise on pay increases, instructional time and testing evaluations.
The school board has authorized its superintendent, Larry Nyland, to take legal action against the union.
Phyllis Campano of the Seattle Education Association union said the board is expecting teachers to work longer days without the accompanying pay, and that’s “just not reasonable.”
Teachers in Seattle complained about six years with no cost-of-living pay increase, no increase in healthcare and overwhelmed teacher’s aides who were not able to help students. It has not been determined for how long the teachers plan to strike.
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