Report has it that classes in Seattle, Washington have been cancelled on what would have been the first day of school this fall for tens of thousands of students because teachers are striking over pay, mental health support, and staffing ratios for special education and multilingual students.
Jennifer Matter, president of the Seattle Education Association, a labour union representing more than 6,000 teachers, paraprofessionals and office workers, said that 95 percent of its members who submitted a ballot voted to go on strike on Wednesday as contract talks continued.
Matter said that no one wants to strike but SPS [Seattle Public Schools] has given them no choice and they can’t go back to the way things have been.
Seattle’s school district said in an email to parents that it was optimistic the bargaining teams will come to a positive solution for students, staff, and families.
Seattle’s is the latest in a wave of teacher strikes across the United States that have resumed after many schools were suspended during the coronavirus pandemic.
The pandemic put extraordinary pressure on teachers and students alike. Federal stimulus money helped stabilise school district budgets. Teachers’ unions have tried to seize the opportunity to voice their concerns and get better pay and more resources for students and teachers after a difficult few years.
The strike means the cancellation of the first day of school for 47,000 Seattle students in the district, the largest public school system in the state.
Teachers are expected to march in picket lines at many of the system’s 110 schools on Wednesday.
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