Educators and staff in Seattle, Ridgefield, Kent and Eatonville went on strike over the first scheduled week of classes, delaying the start of the 2022-23 school year in a bid to force their administrations to pay higher wages, among other points of contention.
Kent teachers came to an agreement with their district, ratifying their contract on Sept. 7. The Seattle Education Association (SEA) announced on social media on Sept. 12 that a tentative agreement had been reached.
This is the first time that SEA — a union representing more than 6,000 workers at Seattle Public Schools — has called a strike since 2015. That year, the five-day strike capped four months of contract negotiations between the union and the district.
In the first photo below, educators at Aki Kurose Middle School wave to supporters. In the second, outside Ingraham, special education teacher Katherin Nestler holds a “Fight Fascism” sign.
Read more of the Sept. 14-20, 2022 issue.