PUYALLUP, Wash. — After bargaining all weekend, the Puyallup Education Association (PEA) and Puyallup School District reached a tentative agreement on a new contract.
It happened at 10:35 p.m. on Saturday, according to a release from the association.
Puyallup educators and the district have been bargaining since April to reach a new contract for this school year.
Educators tell KIRO 7 they have been asking the district to address the growing class sizes.
According to PEA, more than half of Puyallup’s fourth-grade classes are overloaded while junior high and high schools also have ‘burgeoning classrooms.’
“We’ve put in hundreds of hours to get to this deal,” Puyallup Education Association Bob Horton says. “Class size has been an ongoing and long overdue issue in our district. Our students need the room to grow and our members can’t be successful in addressing individualized needs.”
Puyallup started the new school year last week.
Members will meet at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, at Rogers High School to take a ratification vote. If the agreement is approved, the school board would need to take a vote as well.