School in jeopardy in Sumner-Bonney Lake. Teachers say they’d join strike by paraeducators
School could be canceled Friday for Sumner-Bonney Lake students as teachers agreed to not cross the picket line in the event of a strike by paraeducators.
The Sumner Education Association, the teacher’s union, voted on the action Wednesday night after a day of bargaining between paraeducators and the district ended without a contract agreement.
“This is a tremendous show of union solidarity and support — and it definitely will get the attention of the school board and administration,” the Sumner Paraeducators Association wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday night.
As of Thursday morning, school is not officially canceled, the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District told The News Tribune in an email.
The district acknowledged SEA’s decision on its website.
“If it becomes clear that a strike is imminent, the District will notify staff and families as soon as possible regarding the status of school for Oct. 25,” the district stated.
The SPA is setting 3 p.m. Thursday as the deadline to have a tentative agreement in place.
Union members say their wages aren’t competitive with nearby districts, and that paraeducators in Sumner-Bonney Lake are leaving as a result.
Paraeducators voted 99 percent earlier this month to set Oct. 24 as a strike deadline.
Updates on negotiations can be found at sumnerschools.org/paras.
This story was originally published October 24, 2019 at 9:12 AM.
