UPDATED STORY: It’s official, Kent teachers vote to go on strike

(This updated story reflects additional comments, information regarding the Kent teachers’ strike)

The Kent Education Association Wednesday night voted overwhelmingly to go on strike.

More than 86 percent of the more than 1,500 Kent teachers in attendance at Kentlake High School cast their ballots to strike. The KEA has a total membership of more than 1,700 teachers.

“This time the Kent educators are here to stand up for what is right and good,” said KEA President Lisa Brackin-Johnson in announcing the results of the vote.

Brackin-Johnson began her short speech talking about “time,” one of the union’s top concerns during this bargaining period. The union is seeking more time for teachers to spend planning and working with students.

Class sizes were also a major issue for union leadership and the members who came streaming out of the Kentlake gymnasium following the vote. The union has emphasized high class sizes in the Kent district, which they say the district has still not addressed during bargaining.

Teachers also spoke of a lack of respect from the district leadership.

District Communications Director Becky Hanks said the district was disappointed in the vote.

“It is very disappointing to learn that teachers have made this choice,” she said.

Wednesday night’s vote came after an intense week of negotiations through a state mediator sent from the Washington Public Employment Relations Commission. The sides met six of seven days over that time and reached tentative agreement on 16 items, according to Hanks.

However, according to KEA spokesperson Dale Folkerts, the two sides were still “quite a ways apart” at the end of the day Wednesday.

Hanks said the district put forth a new proposal at bargaining Wednesday which addressed more of the union’s concerns, including a promise to convene a group of teachers, administrators, community members and other stakeholders to address class size.

The proposal, however, did not reach union hands until 3 p.m., the very end of bargaining or the day. Union members pointed to the timing of the 40-page proposal when asked for examples of a lack of respect, saying the district knew it come too late before the the evening’s membership meeting and that it had plenty of time to make a proposal.

Hanks said the timing had nothing to do with attitude.

“It was a matter of getting the pieces together as quick as possible,” she said.

Hanks said included in the most recent proposal was the compensation increase that was rejected previously this month by the union team as well as a proposal to a committee composed of teachers, administration, community members including the Citizens Budget Review Committee to review class sizes with the aim of reviewing the class sizes throughout the district.

“It’s not just the teachers and administration; there’s other players involved,” Hanks said.

Teachers leaving the union vote Wednesday night said the decision was not one they made lightly.

“It’s always difficult to decide whether to strike,” said Hilari Anderson, a teacher at Kentridge High School.

“It came down to an issue of respect,” said fellow Kentridge teacher Elizabeth Gorey.

Kentlake Special Education teacher Brad Rodin, on the other hand, said the decision to strike was not difficult at all.

“Knowing other teachers … I’m able to see how well taken care of they are compared to our district,” Rodin said.

“It was a hard decision for me,” said second-year Panther Lake Elementary School teacher Teresa Linders.

Linders said she was excited to get back to school and that she was originally opposed to the strike, but when she learned at a recent meeting that the district had increased its fund balance and that administrator salaries rank among the highest in the area while teacher salaries and class sizes rank near the bottom, she changed her mind.

“That really swayed me,” she said.

While teachers are officially on strike, negotiations will continue beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday morning. Teachers are also expected to begin picketing outside their schools at the usual start time Thursday.

School was scheduled to start Monday, but the strike will push that off indefinitely. However, high school athletics will continue due to separate bargaining units between coaches and teachers.

The union has reserved time for another vote Sunday, but only if a contract settlement can be reached. But Brackin-Johnson said the union would be willing to stay on picket lines if there is no settlement.

“As long as it takes,” she said.

For more information on the negotiations and the differences between the two sides, visit www.kentschools.org (KEA site) or www.kent.k12.wa.us (official District site).