School to start Wednesday in Seattle after weeklong strike

SEATTLE (AP) - Classes will begin Wednesday in Seattle following a weeklong teachers strike that delayed the start of the new school year.

Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Education Association announced Monday night that they had reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, and after 5 p.m. Tuesday the district announced that classes would begin Wednesday morning.

The union's membership voted earlier in the day to suspend the walkout pending ratification of the contract. It's a three-year deal that will maintain ratios of special-education students to support staff, add baseline mental health staffing in all schools, and raise pay above inflation markers, the Seattle Education Association said.

'œWe should be incredibly proud of what we accomplished together,'ť the union said on its Twitter feed. 'œWe won a great tentative agreement and started an important conversation with our community about supporting our students."

The strike began Sept. 7, which was supposed to be the first day for approximately 49,000 students in the district.

Striking teachers said their main concern was educational and emotional help for students, especially those with special needs or learning difficulties that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Teachers in the city have seen healthy raises since their last strike in 2015, with many making more than $100,000, thanks largely to a new state education funding model. The union had said it was primarily focused on winning raises for its lower-paid members, including instructional assistants and front office staff. Paraeducators in Seattle Public Schools start at $19 an hour - nowhere near enough to afford to live in the city, many say.

The union said it was opposing the district's efforts to eliminate staffing ratios for special education students.

One issue for Seattle Public Schools is declining enrollment. Projections show Washington state's largest school district losing several thousands students over the next few years, which officials say translates into significant budget deficits.

Districts around the country have faced labor challenges as the pandemic put extraordinary stress on teachers and students.

Teachers in Minneapolis, Chicago and Sacramento walked out earlier this year before securing new agreements.