More than 30,000 students are out of class as a result
Spencer Pauley
The Center Square Washington
More than 30,000 students in two school districts in Clark County are having the start of school delayed as teacher strikes continue into a second week.
The Camas Education Association and the Evergreen Education Association are seeking new collective bargaining agreements that include more competitive pay and more support for students.
On Sunday, the Camas School District proposed a two-year contract to the Camas Education Association. The proposal included a raise of 5.7% for the 2023-24 school year. This means the average teacher salary in year one would be $110,032, according to the district. The salary would increase 5.9% in the following school year. The proposal was not accepted by the Camas Education Association.
“I remain optimistic that we can get to an agreement and start school on [Sept. 5],” Camas School District Superintendent John Anzalone said in a statement. “If negotiations have not yet concluded, we will send an announcement no later than 4 PM on [Sept. 4] regarding school closures.”
The Camas School District had 7,300 students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year. According to data from the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 59.2% of students met math standards and 68.9% met science standards.
On Tuesday, Evergreen Public Schools proposed a three-year contract to the Evergreen Education Association that includes a raise of 5.2% for the 2023-24 school year. The offer also includes an increase for paid time outside the classroom for things like parent-teacher conferences, grading papers and staff meetings, as well as incentive pay from 8.8% to 9.6%.
The proposed average teacher salary for Evergreen Education Association teachers would increase to $105,387. The compensation range for teachers would be $65,008 to $119,568 in year one. The teachers’ union declined the proposed contract.
The Evergreen Education Association states on its website that agreeing to the district’s proposal would ultimately lead to a pay cut since the Consumer Price Index is higher than the Implicit Price Deflator, which measures the changes in prices for all the goods and services produced in the economy.
The teacher’s union claims the district got a “bit of a break” for the past two years when CPI was lower than the IPD, and now thinks the district wants to reverse how wage increases are structured.
“The district management wants to switch — but they probably won’t want to switch back when things are the other way around,” the Evergreen Education Association stated on its website. “Saying yes to this would be an effective pay cut, even though the state legislature funding would cover it and the district has healthy reserves.”
Evergreen Public Schools had approximately 22,833 students in the 2022-23 school year. Test scores throughout the district were poor with only 25% meeting math standards and 35.6% meeting science standards, according to the OSPI.
This report was first published by The Center Square Washington.
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Illegal teacher strikes continue in Evergreen and Camas School districts on Wed. Sept 6. WA state law RCW 41.56.120 : Right to strike not granted. Nothing contained in this chapter shall permit or grant any public employee the right to strike or refuse to perform his or her official duties. https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=41.56.120
What good is a law if there are no penalties for violation of the law.
Doing a little research came up with this:
It is almost unheard of for state employees to strike. Why? Because they don’t get paid while they strike. Not true for teachers. They are guaranteed their pay. So it doesn’t matter to them when the strike ends. But it matters to our kids. These teachers are using our kids as pawns for their own benefit and gain. These teachers are making good money with good benefits. They are well above average for our area. Most teachers will say they do it for the kids. Well then get back to work! If not, the school districts need to file an emergency injunction with the courts to force them back.
Any injunction would have to come from a group of families of students who are suffering losses during this strike. No district in Clark County has filed an injunction over the many teacher strikes that go on year after year. Many families have suffered, and are suffering loss of pay, jobs, and extra child care costs, and will never be compensated for these losses. The fake make up days are not truly made up for because:1) They are tacked on at the end of the year, after graduation, thus are of no benefit to students, AFTER INSTRUCTION has essentially ceased, partial days in late June when many students are substituted for full days at the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, the administration (and teachers?) are paid during illegal strikes for bargaining for higher pay and less work.
Always interesting that the teachers/union always state they are “children first”. None of the retoric makes any mention of how the beleaguered School District plans on reducing expenses in order to make it work long-term. Let’s start with a 25% cut in the administration 🎉💸🤡🎉💸🤡👍👍
“Evergreen Public Schools had approximately 22,833 students in the 2022-23 school year. Test scores throughout the district were poor with only 25% meeting math standards and 35.6% meeting science standards, according to the OSPI.”
You deserve nothing.
PAY your educators! Kuds today are a hot mess due to the high count of working parents, stressed parents cir lot of reasons. The Teachers have to acquire this stress from kids with many new troubles!!
PAY YOUR EDUCATOTS!!!!
By your grammar you must be a product of ESD.