The Evergreen Education Association staged a rally outside Evergreen Public Schools headquarters Tuesday evening, saying district leaders have been unreceptive to reports of improper working conditions and safety concerns as the district navigates a shortage of support staff.
The union — which represents classroom teachers and certificated staff in Clark County’s largest school district — is at “about the halfway point” in the bargaining process for a new three-year contract with the district. The existing contract is set to expire Aug. 31, 2023.
A district webpage said the most recent contract proposal was made on May 17, but few details about what’s being offered have been shared publicly — typical of an ongoing bargaining process.
The biggest disconnect between the two bargaining teams so far, union representatives said, was that the district is focused on salary, while union members are pushing for more trainings and collaboration time with special education support staff and paraeducators to help with overall communication.
“I would say they just don’t understand what’s happening at the classroom level. They’re not getting things thrown at them, they’re not seeing teachers getting hurt,” said Elise Petosa, an elementary social worker in the district. “They aren’t the boots on the ground.”
With a number of support positions left vacant throughout the district, teachers say they need more time with each other to figure out ways to address behavioral issues in the classroom and figure out how to properly adopt Washington’s new inclusive schools model.
The sufficiency of training in the new state model — which seeks to increase time in general education classrooms for students with disabilities and special needs in the name of equity — was a point of contention in last year’s bargaining session between the district and the PSE Large Group, which represents paraeducators and support staff.
Teachers said the transition to the new model has challenged the district. Without enough paraeducators and support staff, teachers said, they’ve witnessed an increase in violations of students’ individualized education plans.
“We are not properly trained for the new model,” said Shaun Gundert, a science teacher at Henrietta Lacks Health and Bioscience High School and president of the Southwest Washington Labor Council. “Students aren’t getting the support that they are entitled to through their individualized education plan. There are real kids affected by these shortages. We understand what it means to have safe staffing levels, and we just don’t have that.”
In response, a district spokesperson said Evergreen staff works to fulfill students’ needs.
“Fifteen percent of EPS students qualify for Individualized Education Programs,” a spokesperson said. “District staff work hard to meet the unique needs of our students receiving special education services. The district has systems in place for staff and family members to share concerns and discuss student IEPs. If there are concerns, the district works to address the issues.”
Testimonies roll into board meeting
Near the top of the Tuesday board meeting, Superintendent John Boyd briefly addressed the ongoing bargaining, noting that both sides were working long hours and working toward a deal that’s sensible and financially feasible.
While the rally continued outside, some union members shared testimony of their struggles in the classroom during the meeting’s public comment portion.
Christy Dunn — a teacher at Heritage High School whom the district named its 2022 Teacher of the Year — told the board that despite the accolade, she would be stepping away from Evergreen after this year after a year of intense burnout.
“I just don’t feel supported,” Dunn said. “Without support, everything is crushing me.”
Adam Aguilera, another teacher and union member, took to the stand to deliver an union evaluation of the district’s bargaining team that echoed other members’ claims of a disconnect between the two sides.
“The district declined all proposals from educators addressing student behaviors when staff do not feel safe because abusive and violent students in crisis are attacking other students and staff,” Aguilera wrote in the evaluation, which he read aloud and handed out to each member of the board.
Aguilera asked that Boyd consider replacing some members of the district’s bargaining team and that they “be more present and engaged in negotiations to reach a tentative agreement.” The district had no comment on Aguilera’s suggestion.
