Tentative deal to end Seattle teachers strike
SEATTLE After all-night talks, the Seattle teachers union and Seattle Public Schools have reached a tentative agreement that could end a nearly weeklong strike.
The deal was reached at 6:50 a.m. Tuesday, according to the district.
“We are excited and pleased to let our 53,000 families know we have reached a tentative agreement,” district spokeswoman Stacy Howard said.
The district hopes to start school by Thursday, if the strike ends.
“This is a great day,” Howard said.
The strike won’t be suspended until the union board of directors and representative assembly both approve the agreement, according to the union. The two groups will look at the tentative contract later Tuesday.
Details of the deal will not be released until the union has a chance to share them with its members, the district said in a news release.
Teachers and other school employees have been on strike since Wednesday, closing schools for the district’s 53,000 students and forcing parents to find alternatives.
The issues include pay, the length of the school day, the amount of student testing, and the caseload for psychologists and other specialists.
The union represents instructional assistants, specialists and office secretaries as well as teachers. In total, it has 5,000 members.
In announcing the tentative agreement, Ballard High School principal Keven Wyncoop asked that parents help students with the healing process after the strike.
“It’s really important for our community to continue to come back together,” Wyncoop said.
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