On September 2nd, Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Education Association ratified a three year teacher contract that puts kids first. Seattle Stand members played a key role in ensuring community voices were heard throughout the process and participated in a coalition of local education advocacy organizations creating a movement that was impactful in moving the negotiations forward after a standstill for several months.
The ratified contract includes key elements to better support teachers and promote student learning, including:
- A new system that utilizes measures of student growth to trigger more effective and informative evaluations for teachers.
- Career ladder options for highly effective teachers so they can pass their knowledge and expertise to their colleagues.
- Incentives for our most highly effective teachers to work in our highest need schools.
- An end to forced placement in high needs schools.
Stand for Children members were engaged in many ways:
- Seattle Strategy Team members came up with clear and direct priorities.
- Members met with the Superintendent, Board Members, and members of the bargaining team in the Spring to share those priorities.
- Throughout the process, Seattle team coordinators and members consistently attended and testified at school board meetings and met individually with members of the bargaining team.
- Members including teachers and parents were active participants at meetings held by Our Schools Coalition bringing community voices to the forefront of the conversations around engagement.
This is a historic victory in Seattle that will hopefully lead other districts in Washington state to challenge the status quo and continue to move us forward towards reducing the achievement gap.
