Washington Teachers Strike Across the State
Hundreds of educators began picketing Thursday in Washington state's Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Burbank school districts — joining some 60 other districts where there have been walkouts to protest what many say is the legislature’s failure to adequately fund K-12 public schools.
They joined thousands of Seattle teachers who earlier this week staged a one-day strike, as teachers in the eastern Washington city of Spokane voted Thursday to hold their walkout on May 27.
“I’m standing on the street now with around 800 teachers,” Kennewick High School teacher Sabiha Khan told Al Jazeera. “Cars are honking in support and there are lots of students that have showed up with signs.”
Teachers across the state are calling for the legislature to fund smaller class sizes at every level, as required by a voter initiative that has become law. Lawmakers have so far failed to implement the initiative because of lack of agreement on a budget to fully fund public education.
Striking teachers are also demanding competitive pay and benefits.
Teachers have two main issues with the way the legislature is funding education, according to Rich Wood, spokesman for Washington Educators Association (WEA).
“The first is funding for smaller class sizes as required by Initiative 1351, which over 1 million people voted for and is now law — and which directed the legislature to reduce class size for grades K-12, with even smaller class sizes in high poverty areas in the Tri-City area,” Wood said, referring to Richland, Kennewick and Pasco, cities all located near each other in eastern Washington.
“Unfortunately, neither the House nor the Senate has funded that initiative,” he said. “They’re essentially gutting it or overriding it, which is just unacceptable — kids are already packed into some of the most overcrowded classes in the nation.”
The Seattle Educators Association said in a statement this week that by ignoring Initiative 1351, Olympia was failing to meet a state Supreme Court mandate to fully fund public schools.
“Parents and voters need to know that legislators are cutting deals right now that will leave our kids far behind,” the union said in a statement. “A strike is far from our first choice, but we can’t allow the legislature to continue to fail our kids.”
Teachers are also calling for increased pay and benefits. The legislature hasn’t funded a cost of living increase in six years, Wood said.
The Washington Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Teachers Initiative, or Initiative Measure 732, was approved by 63 percent of voters in 2000, but the legislature has suspended it every year since 2008, WEA said on its website.
“Washington legislators got an 11 percent pay increase, and teachers didn’t even get a cost of living pay increase,” Washington Teachers Strike Across the State | Al Jazeera America: