A school district in Washington state will not begin the school year on time because the teachers union representing its staff announced it will go on strike on Wednesday, which was supposed to be the first day of school.
John Boyd, the superintendent of Evergreen Public Schools, which includes the city of Vancouver, Washington, informed families Tuesday night that school would not begin as scheduled on Wednesday because of a strike by the Evergreen Education Association, the district’s teachers union. The message said that schools would be closed indefinitely because of the labor stoppage.
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“A strike is a major disruption to the lives of our students, staff, families, and school community,” Boyd said in the announcement. “The district is committed to continuing to bargain with the Evergreen Education Association (EEA) to reach an agreement that is fair to all and is affordable and sustainable.”
The union is demanding the school district ramp up staffing to serve special needs students, allow teachers to have “time to plan and collaborate,” and provide an increase in pay commensurate with inflation.
The superintendent said the union and the school district have been negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement since March but have yet to finalize a deal “despite making progress.” The district’s most recent proposal included a 5.2% increase in teacher pay.
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“Our EEA bargaining team has worked at the table to move district administration to do the right thing to support students and educators but the district has refused to come to an agreement,” the union said in a statement.
Despite the disruption to classes, Boyd said that some schools would be open for families to pick up free breakfast and lunch. Sports activities will also continue as scheduled.
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