SEATTLE, Wash. — After weeks of uncertainty and the possibility of a strike, students have been dropped off and school is back in session.
For parents at Beacon Hill’s Rising Star Elementary School, there’s a lot of relief and excitement to finally get the school year started.
“It was touch-and-go yesterday. We weren’t sure it was gonna happen,” Chris Chaney, a Rising Star parent, said. “We had to put the daughter to bed last night and say, ‘There might be school, get ready to get up early.’”
Chris Chaney also serves as the school’s PTA president. He said the wait for an agreement came down to the final hours.
“We kept hitting refresh all night, and then we were so excited to see they came to an agreement on both sides,” Chaney added.
The two sides spent the summer negotiating 57 different issues from teacher salary to class size.
Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Ben Shuldiner said collective bargaining agreements can be complex, which is why it took so long to come to a conclusion.
“Making sure we agree on the raise we thought was appropriate and we’re able to do in our fiscal situation, but also conversations about special ed, nurses, social workers,” Shuldiner said.
There are still big challenges ahead.
The district is facing a budget gap of about $100 million and has proposed cost cuts, including school closures and consolidations.
“The real issue is that, when you look at the way we support the school district, there’s a lot of needs,” Shuldiner said. “Right now, funding from Olympia is not meeting those needs.”
But now, Shuldiner’s attention is on the students.
“Now that we have a good strong contract for them, hopefully these next three years we can really focus on what we can do for our students,” Shuldiner said.
For families today, the priority is also simple -- getting their kids through that first day.
“I’m excited to find out the details of what the agreement is, but [it] sounds like everyone is happy, and at the end of the day, as a parent, that’s all I care about,” Chaney said.
The contract hasn’t been ratified yet. There still needs to be a vote between the teacher’s union and the school district to make it official.
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