Valley teachers move toward possible strike
June 18, 2008
By Laura Geggel
At a general membership meeting for the Snoqualmie Education Association June 11, teachers voted to prepare for a strike authorization vote Aug. 27 if the district doesn’t present an agreeable contract regarding teacher salaries.
The SEA represents all of the teachers within the Snoqualmie Valley School District. If teachers choose a strike at the August vote, the strike would begin Sept. 3.
The union has been bargaining both informally and formally with the district since the beginning of 2008.
The contract expiring Aug. 31, called the collective bargaining agreements, is renewed every three years and determines teacher salaries and benefits.
The union is charging that the district should raise its compensation to rates comparable to other districts. When comparing the nine Eastside school districts – Bellevue, Mercer Island, Enumclaw, Riverview, Lake Washington, Issaquah, Granite Falls, Tahoma and Snoqualmie – Snoqualmie Valley School District falls at the bottom, for average teacher salaries.
“We’re not asking to be at the top or ahead of anybody,” said Art Galloway, president of the SEA and a teacher at Mount Si High School. “We just want to move toward the average.”
The district, already in a budget crunch, contests that the other school districts receive more local, state and federal funding.
Of the nine Eastside school districts, Snoqualmie receives the least per student. Bellevue School District receives the most at $9,177 per student, while Snoqualmie Valley School District gets $7,701. Bellevue also has a higher levy rate.
Student enrollment, another source of revenue, has slowed. In 2005-06, enrollment grew by seven percent, decreasing the following year to 6.5 percent and then 2.2 percent in the year after. The projections for 2009-10 growth are set at 1.5 percent growth.
“The other thing that is unique to our school district is that we have opened two new schools in four years,” said Carolyn Malcolm, the district’s public information coordinator. “While we have put money aside to open those schools, that does increase our operating costs and that is a significant cost for any school district.”
Malcolm said it was difficult for the district to predict the magnitude of the Snoqualmie Education Association’s request.
All certified and classified staff receive about a 5 percent pay raise from the cost of living allowance (COLA) statewide raise, of which the state does not fully fund. In 2007-08, the district paid about $20.8 million in certified staff salaries. That number has risen to $22.6 million for the coming school year.
Yet, Galloway said that because every certified staff in Washington state is receiving the COLA raise, Snoqualmie Valley School District is still at the bottom of the Eastside district salary ladder.
“The district has been unable to discuss or have any position other than no improvement in that ranking,” said Galloway. “They’re clearly saying that teachers’ compensation is not a priority.”
Galloway said he knew of one teacher who is leaving and another who is thinking about leaving Snoqualmie for districts with better salaries.
“I have a son who will start at elementary school (this fall),” said Galloway.
“I want him to have quality teachers as he goes through Snoqualmie Valley School District. If we can’t even compete with Riverview and Issaquah, I don’t know how we’ll continue to attract quality teachers.”
Reporter Laura Geggel can be reached at 392-6434 x221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.
Comments
Got something to say?
Before you comment, please note:
- These comments are moderated.
- Comments should be relevant to the topic at hand and contribute to its discussion.
- Personal attacks and/or excessive profanity will not be tolerated and such comments will not be approved.
- This is not your personal chat room or forum, so please stay on topic.
