Negotiations between members of the Tacoma Education Association (TEA) and the Tacoma School District resumed Tuesday afternoon, following a break over the long Labor Day weekend.
Talks between the teachers’ union and school district began after school and were scheduled to continue until 7 p.m. The two sides have not yet reached a tentative agreement. The TEA contract with the district expired Aug. 31.
TEA members on that day failed to gather enough votes to authorize a strike, and school started on time Thursday. But members agreed to allow negotiations to resume, and they plan to gather again this Monday. If there’s a tentative agreement by then, they will vote on it. If not, they could vote again on whether to strike.
Issues separating the two sides include pay – specifically, how to account for a 1.9 percent reduction in state funding for teacher salaries – and how much weight seniority should play in district teacher assignments.
Meanwhile, teachers in Bellingham voted to accept a proposed three-year contract Tuesday morning, according to The Bellingham Herald. An estimated 600 Bellingham teachers staged a one-day strike on Friday, a day that had been scheduled as a teacher planning day. A tentative agreement was reached Friday evening, the Herald reported. School is scheduled to start today, a day late, in Bellingham.
According to the Herald, the Bellingham Education Association said the new contract includes additional time for district-required elementary school tests and time to learn about the district’s new report cards. The newspaper also quotes the union saying that the Bellingham School District will cover the reduction in state funding for teacher salaries.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.