(The Center Square) – The threat of a strike by Seattle school teachers loomed larger Monday with the school district and the educators’ union remaining far apart on key issues.
While Seattle Public Schools superintendent Ben Shuldiner said he hopes a settlement could be reached before the start of school on Wednesday, he acknowledged that the district has begun contingency plans.He said they included determining whether nonprofit organizations already operating in schools could provide food to children or offer before and after-school recreation and enrichment programs.The district does not plan to offer an education program with alternative staff, such as administrators, if the strike occurs, he said. Members of The Seattle Education Association, which represents 6,000 teachers and paraprofessionals, voted Wednesday night by a margin of 91% to authorize a strike.Shuldiner said he hoped a federal mediator who joined the talks on Sunday could help with stalled negotiations. But he said at a Monday press briefing that the district’s ability to give wage increases wanted by the union was tempered by the district’s fiscal realities. “We’re broke,” he said. So much so, he said, that the district, which serves around 50,000 students, could be insolvent by next year. District officials have said that Seattle Schools are grappling with a looming $87 million budget deficit for the 2026-27 school year and a depleted $30 million rainy-day reserve, down from a recommended $135 million.Shuldiner shared that the district has offered SEA members 8.8% raises over three years, or 2.85% per year. But much of the increase is tied to inflation-funded state pay increases for all teachers. The teachers’ union has asked for a 1.5%-3% raise, in addition to inflation.The contract expires on Monday at midnight.The Seattle Teachers Union did not hold its own press briefing on Monday but, in social media posts, it rebutted the district’s points. It has attacked the district not just over economic issues but over its promise to add more special education positionsThe union says while the district is adding some staffers, it is actually cutting other positions.SEA maintains that 200 special education teachers and paraprofessionals will be removed from their current positions. Shuldiner said that what is occurring is a restructuring of the special education program so that children can receive services in their own neighborhood schools, resulting in a net gain of new positions. Teachers last went on strike back in 2022 for five days.