While strikes ended in Ridgefield and Hockinson and one was avoided in Camas on Monday, strikes in Evergreen, Battle Ground and Washougal appear to be continuing.
All three districts canceled classes Tuesday, as strikes have spread into a second week.
Teachers remain at odds over salary agreements, as districts around Washington negotiate how to spend the additional money they’re slated to receive after two years of McCleary legislation. The Legislature allocated $7.3 billion over four years toward basic education during the 2017 session, then put another $1 billion toward teacher salaries this year.
In Evergreen, Clark County’s largest district, Evergreen Public Schools and the Evergreen Education Association put out a joint statement shortly after 2 p.m. Monday announcing Tuesday’s closure.
“We have been negotiating all weekend and have spent countless hours working together in an effort to reach an agreement that would allow us to begin school as soon as possible. We are continuing at the bargaining table today with sincere hopes of reaching an agreement,” the joint statement read.
“Given the fact that it is Monday afternoon, we want to update you that we are continuing to work towards reaching an agreement, but under the best of circumstances, would not be able to logistically start school Tuesday,” the statement said. “Thank you for your patience.”
The conciliatory tone took a harsher edge at about 7:30 p.m. when the union posted a statement on Facebook saying the talks had ended for the day.
“It is with great disappointment we announce that bargaining is done already,” the statement said. “At around 6:45 p.m., the district e-mailed the EEA bargaining team their only proposal for the day and packed up and went home without explaining the proposal.”
“We will remain on strike Tuesday,” the statement continued. “Please contact (Superintendent) John Steach and the school board and demand the district return to the table and work toward settlement!”
The district fired back two hours later with a statement claiming that its proposal “keeps Evergreen as the highest paid teachers in Southwest Washington.”
The statement said the district proposal includes a salary range from $51,288 to $98,279 in the first year and $52,263 to $100,090 in the second year.
“In addition to allocating all of the dedicated teacher salary McCleary funding to teachers’ salaries, the district proposal also includes an additional average of $11,561 per FTE out of the local levy,” the district statement said. “This same local levy is being reduced by 45 percent or $29.5 million dollars per year starting in January. The EEA Leadership proposal would require an additional $9 million per year of levy funds which would result in significant cuts and adjustments to other levy funded areas starting in the 2019-2020 school year or sooner.”
The district’s statement said it is awaiting a response from the union leadership on the proposal.
“The District is also waiting on a future meeting time and location,” the statement said.
Both sides in Battle Ground remained quiet on Monday, other than the district sending out a notice that school would be canceled today and that the two sides bargained for 13 hours on Sunday. The two sides remained at the bargaining table late into Monday night.
The Battle Ground Education Association Facebook page posted a message asking people to join teachers in a “March to the Middle” today.
The Washougal Association of Educators and district’s bargaining team also met late into Monday night. Eric Engebretson, president of the union, wrote in a text message Monday night the two sides started their day at 9 a.m. Monday and were still bargaining at 8:35 p.m.
“No movement on class size of salary,” he wrote in the text.
The Washougal union also sent a Facebook post at 2:30 p.m. Monday saying the union was discouraged that the “district has decided to go public with misleading financial documents.” In a response to a comment from someone on that post, the union’s Facebook account wrote “it’s going to be a long week.”
On Monday, the district posted documents online saying the most recent district offer has a salary range of $51,522 to $95,783 in total compensation. According to info posted by the district, the union’s latest offer has a salary range of $53,054 to $99,999.
