Seattle Parents Support Teachers’ Strike!

Seattle Teachers Strike

Dear Commons Community,

A teachers strike on the first day of school in Seattle left families scrambling for alternative childcare, however, many parents of the district’s 53,000 students were supporting the teachers.  As reported in The Huffington Post:

“Around 5,000 members of the Seattle Education Association, which represents teachers and support staff in Washington’s largest school district,  picketed all 97 schools yesterday after contract negotiations broke down Tuesday night. 

Naomi Wilson, a research specialist at the University of Washington College of Education with a first-grader and fourth-grader in the district, spoke to The Huffington Post from the picket line outside her children’s school, where she went to stand in solidarity with teachers. The teachers are demanding a 10.5 percent pay increase, along with fair teacher evaluations and workloads, equity in student discipline, less standardized testing and guaranteed student recess time.

“Cost of living is definitely something that we support for teachers,” Wilson said, emphasizing how expensive Seattle housing is, “but things like recess and reasonable testing and workloads and special education and equity — that’s them fighting for us. Those are the issues we raised. So we come out strong and support their ability to bargain and fight not just for us, but for the education system. These are our kids. These are my kids.”

“…More than 4,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling on parents to support the union. Several parents have co-authored op-eds advocating for the teachers’ demands. 

“Of all the parents that I have talked to, they have been just overwhelmingly in support,” Wilson said. “I think the overwhelming majority of the public — and definitely parents — are in full support of their teachers that strike.”

Tony

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