Get the Facts: A quick overview on the Kent School District Teacher Strike situation
Around here, mostly everyone in Maple Valley, Auburn, and Enumclaw will be starting school soon. One exception is the Kent School District (KSD), which covers the city of Kent as well as Covington. The Kent School District teachers union, known as the Kent Education Association (KEA), decided to go on strike starting August 25th, 2022, which was supposed to be the first day of school for most KSD students. While contract discussions between KSD and KEA are continuing as of this writing, here is some clarification as to why they decided to strike. Information was sourced from KEA’s Facebook page as well as KSD’s communication outlets (email, Facebook) and other local news sources.
KEA is asking for the following:
- A fair wage increase for all teachers with the district. It is public knowledge that the current superintendent, Israel Vela, recently received a 27% salary increase, while teachers would only get a 6.3% salary increase.
- Be able to have teachers connect with students with smaller class sizes.
- Provide increasingly essential student services like mental health counseling, nursing and better support for special education teachers and students.
KEA has argued that KSD in general is not negotiating in good faith, considering that they had repeatedly asked to discuss a new contract earlier in the summer. The KSD board of directors had considered filing an injunction to get teachers back to work during the August 29th 2022 board meeting. The injunction failed due to a 2-2 tie. One statement that came from Director Joe Bento was a quote from a former Renton EA president, “”Staff working conditions are our students’ learning conditions.”
The surrounding communities have come out in strong support of KEA. Examples include volunteers providing meals for both striking teachers and nearby students (Note: KSD has suspended food services due to the strike), providing shelter in the late August heat and words of encouragement and support.
UPDATE: On 9/7/22, a tentative agreement was reached between KEA and KSD and the school year officially started on 9/8/22. Negotiations with the other unions (custodial, paraeducators, etc.) are still in progress.
