Seattle Public Schools brought in a federal mediator Sunday, Aug. 30, after contract talks with the teachers' union collapsed Saturday night, Aug. 29. Roughly 50,000 students are two days from a possible strike.
Superintendent Ben Shuldiner announced the move in a message to families Sunday evening, as West Seattle Blog first reported. Shuldiner said the district requested the mediator because the Seattle Education Association (SEA) made an offer the district characterized as regressive bargaining. The district left the table after that offer.
School is scheduled to open Wednesday, Sept. 2. If no deal is reached by Tuesday night, educators plan to picket outside all 106 Seattle public schools starting Wednesday morning.
Neither side had confirmed when negotiations would resume as of Sunday night.
What's on the table
The two sides have agreed on 12 of 57 total contract items, The Seattle Times reported. The main sticking points are special education supports, wages and class sizes.
On pay, the SEA is seeking raises of 1% to 3% for teachers and counselors and 3% to 5% for paraeducators and office staff, on top of a 2.6% state cost-of-living adjustment.
KIRO 7 reported the district proposed a 9% compensation package over three years, while the union sought 6% for teachers and 12% for lower-paid staff over the same period.
The union also wants a lower student-to-psychologist ratio. The current contract assigns one school psychologist for every 1,050 students. The National Association of School Psychologists recommends one for every 500.
Special education at the center
Special education has emerged as a central flashpoint. The district has proposed changes that educators say would reduce the number of special education pathways distinguishing what kinds of services students receive.
Ashley Burchett, a school psychologist at Franklin High School in Mount Baker, told The Seattle Times she often works nights and weekends to keep up with evaluations that determine whether students qualify for an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
At a Saturday rally in Judkins Park, more than 200 educators made signs and practiced picket lines. Alex Kramer, a special education instructional assistant at Salmon Bay K-8 in Ballard, was among them. "I'm feeling both frustrated and sad," Kramer told The Seattle Times.
The SEA represents about 6,000 teachers, paraeducators, counselors, social workers and office staff. Members voted 91% to authorize a strike on Aug. 26, as KOMO News reported.
What families should know
The district plans daily media updates starting Monday, Aug. 31. The first is set for 3 p.m. at district headquarters in SODO.
If a strike happens, it would be the second in four years. Teachers walked out in September 2022, delaying the start of school by five days.
Shuldiner, in his first year leading the district, has been present at the bargaining table throughout negotiations. In his Sunday message, he wrote that the district remains very hopeful mediation will produce a deal before Wednesday.
No public response from the SEA to the mediator announcement appeared in available reports as of Sunday night.
SEA President Ibijoke Idowu told KIRO 7 on Sunday, Aug. 30, as talks broke down, that she wanted to stay focused on bargaining.
The district is also navigating an $87 million budget deficit. The school board approved a $1.34 billion budget on Aug. 26 that reduces the gap by nearly $50 million through cuts to central office, classroom staffing and transportation.
