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Håfa Adai & Hello Seattle families,
SEA is educators. We do this work because we care about the success and well-being of kids, and we see our bargaining as a chance to hold SPS accountable to giving our students more of what they need. We take the responsibility of getting to an agreement that improves student outcomes very seriously.
Last night, SPS walked away from the bargaining table.
We are three days away from the scheduled return of our students and we have been clear that our intent is to bargain around the clock and avoid a strike. We're disappointed and angry that the district would waste this precious time.
There's still time. Our bargaining team is still ready to talk any time. Up until last night, we were making progress on many smaller issues, though SPS still had not budged from their original positions on big issues like their one-sided Special Education reform proposal.
The ball is once again in SPS’ court. Posturing doesn't help us get back into classrooms; real negotiation does. SEA's Bargaining Team, made up of educators who have dedicated our careers to students with the support of expert staff. Together we have spent more than 200 hours each-- that's about 4,000 hours of work-- to work with SPS on finding creative solutions. We are committed to you. We are committed to our students. We want to get this done.
We're aware that SPS has "shared" some information about bargaining that is rife with half-truths and dizzying spin. We will be sharing our analysis of these claims very briefly before returning to talking about what we know matters most: kids. We also recommend the great information on the Special Education proposals on this site, which is not affiliated with SEA but is fantastic.
If you haven't yet, please take a minute to tell School Board members to direct the Superintendent to settle a contract with SEA NOW that centers student success.
We also have a toolkit you can use to support SEA with friends and neighbors.
We share your anger and frustration that this negotiation is taking so long. We want to be back in classrooms. Let’s get this done.
In solidarity & Si Yu’os Ma’åse,
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