Bargaining continues between district officials and certified staff union

VANCOUVER – The following message was sent Wednesday afternoon to families and staff of Evergreen Public Schools. 

Dear EPS Community,

Due to the PSE Large Group classified union strike, there will be no school tomorrow, September 11. 

We understand that our community is frustrated and we share your desire to get our students back to school. The EPS and PSE Large Group bargaining teams participated in mediation again today but additional time is still needed to continue negotiations with the hope of reaching a tentative agreement. 

During the work stoppage, our school buildings are closed. The Administrative Service Center (district office) will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Updates on other services and information:

Meals: The district will make breakfast and lunch available for students at no cost each school day during the strike at the sites below. 

At the pickup site, parents or guardians will be asked to fill out and sign a form stating how many eligible children they have in their household. 

Child Care: Right at School, the district’s new child care provider, is hosting Family Care Camps at nine of our elementary schools. The camps, for elementary age students, will operate from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. each school day for the duration of the strike. For sites, costs and other information, click here.

Also, the Clark County Family YMCA is offering a camp for EPS students during the strike from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Get more information and register here. 

Athletics & Activities: Middle and high school practices and events will continue during the work stoppage, though transportation will not be provided. Families will hear directly from their school about schedules, locations, and site-specific details.

Registration: Available for new students online.

Medications: Families who need to drop off student medications or required documents may do so at their child’s school beginning on the first day of classes. 

The district is committed to continuing to bargain with the PSE Large Group to reach an agreement that is fair to both sides and is affordable and sustainable under our current budget conditions. For updated information on bargaining, you can visit the Bargaining webpage.

We look forward to getting the school year started and having students back in our schools. 

Information provided by the Evergreen School District.