The Kent School District late Friday afternoon officially declared an impasse in negotiations with the Kent Education Association, setting the stage for a potential strike.
“While the district has negotiated in good faith, we believe we are at an impasse,” reads a letter dated Aug. 14 and signed by Superintendent Edward Lee Vargas. “As a result the school year may be delayed.”
The letter is being sent to district residents and the hope is it will be in homes by Monday or Tuesday.
School is scheduled to begin Aug. 31. The KEA has a membership meeting Aug. 26 at which point they will take a strike vote if no settlement has ben reached.
The declaration by the district means a mediator from the Washington State Public Employment Relations Commission will be called in to help facilitate negotiations.
“We believe continuing the regular negotiations is not likely to be successful,” District Communications Director Becky Hanks said Friday.
Hanks said the district and union officials have had 11 bargaining sessions, including Wednesday when the union rejected a proposal for the union that included an increase in total teacher compensation.
At Friday’s bargaining session, the district informed the union of its decision to declare an impasse.
According to the district, two sessions were scheduled for next week, but no further bargaining will take place until a mediator is assigned by the state.
“As soon as a mediator is identified we’re ready to go to work,” Hanks said.
The state agency provides mediators at no charge.
“We are very disappointed that the district thought they needed to do this right now,” said KEA President Lisa Brackin-Johnson.
Brackin-Johnson reiterated the union’s stance that their issues were about “time, workload and compensation” and the district’s proposal only addressed compensation, adding that the district’s offer was still not enough.
“The salary proposal was a step in the right direction, but it still does not move us to the middle, it keeps us on the bottom,” KEA President Lisa Brackin-Johnson said in an interview Thursday.
The union and the district use different sets of school districts when discussing salary comparisons. The union uses a larger group that includes several districts north of Seattle as well as surrounding districts.
Brackin-Johnson also said the district’s offer does not address time and workload, something the district disputes. Hanks said the district’s offer addresses the time component by providing additional hours of teacher-directed time that does not require reporting as well as replacing a day that was cut by the state.
The offer also did not include any increases in class size.
All sides have said they hope for a resolution that will allow schools to open on time.
“There’s certainly the hope we can get this cleared up because obviously no one wants a strike,” Board President Jim Berrios said.
“We will continue to look at our proposals and meet with the bargaining team and hope that the district gives a call soon,” Brackin-Johnson said.
“We will work to resolve these issues,” Hanks said. “Our hope is we resolve these issues and our staff and students are in school Aug. 31.”
For more information or to read the letter being sent home to parents, visit http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/ksd/cr/Aug14KEANegotiations.html.
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