Teacher Strike Suspended; School Starts Thursday

The strike appears to be over.

Seattle teachers union representatives and school district leaders announced Tuesday night the approval of a tentative agreement.

School will start Thursday for the city’s 53,000 public school students. School will have been delayed for a week.

Representatives with the Seattle Education Association, the teachers union, went into a meeting with the school board at the Machinists Hall in South Seattle on Tuesday afternoon.

The parties had announced a tentative contract agreement that morning.

Rank and file members of the union will vote to ratify the agreement on Sunday.

The school board also needs to give its final approval.

Seattle Education Association President Jonathan Knapp said the deal "signifies a new era" because the union worked with parents to push a progressive agenda.

Tentative agreement highlights:

• Three-year contract
• Compensation - Raises in 2015-2017 of 3.0%, 2.0%, and 4.5% per year, respectively (not including state COLA)
• School Day - 20 minutes longer beginning in 2017 with compensation for teachers; one-hour student early release or early start once weekly
• Case Loads - Enforceable case load ratios for physical and occupational therapists, psychologists and audiologists
• Equity Committees - 30 school-based committees to review data and problems regarding discipline and opportunity
• Special Education - Student-teacher ratios lowered in preschool and district classrooms
• Testing - Assessment calendar for student testing finalized on August 15 annually, with majority-union committee giving input on district assessments
• Teacher evaluations - Student Growth Rating based on test scores removed from teacher evaluation process