UPDATE: Tukwila teachers, school district reach tentative agreement

Update on Sept. 5, 2019: The Tukwila School District and the Tukwila Education Association have reached a tentative agreement early Thursday morning.

The school district announced that the tentative agreement was reached before 2 a.m.

Details in the agreement have not been released but the district said TEA has an opportunity to ratify.

"The District and Association are especially pleased that this agreement was reached in time to avoid any interruptions in the school calendar," the district said in a statement. 

School will operate a normal schedule on Friday.

Our previous report from Sept. 3, 2019:

Teachers in the Tukwila School District announced that they have voted to authorize a strike at the end of the week.

Members of the Tukwila Education Association announced Tuesday that they will strike Friday if no settlement is reached.

In a release by the TEA, teachers are "seeking improved contract language for special education teachers and compensation that keeps Tukwila schools competitive with surrounding districts. TEA members do not want Tukwila students to lose the quality, caring teachers and education support professionals they deserve."

The Tacoma School District's first day of school is scheduled to start Wednesday.

"Tukwila teachers and education support professionals just sent a strong, unified message that they are not going to accept anything less than what they and their students deserve," TEA President Brian Seigel said. "The school board needs to invest in the great educators who shape and nurture Tukwila students every day. They should give educators and community members realistic spending projections, not worst case scenarios as they presented last year."

Both Seattle and Tacoma teachers reached deals last week that include pay raises.

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