As a parent of a new freshman at Kentwood High School, I am frustrated at the continued teachers’ strike for many reasons, but mostly because I want my daughter back in school. She’s had a great summer, has grown and matured in many ways, and she’s ready to get back to the business of learning, growing and changing. That includes returning to school. Alas, it isn’t that easy if you have kids in the Kent School District. The teachers voted to strike on August 26, delaying the first day of school indefinitely.
Originally scheduled to go back on August 31, we finished our back-to-school clothes and supplies shopping in mid-August. We did haircuts, room cleaning and laundry catch-up; my daughter even practiced waking up early to ensure she wouldn’t miss her 6:55 am bus. We even had a going-back-to-school lunch with another mom and her teen daughters to celebrate the start of school! It is now September 8, and we have no teachers, no school, and no bus. Parents are anxious to return to work or at least to their regular schedules, and kids want to go back to school but it is out of our hands.
Based on what I’ve read and heard, I support the Kent teachers and their arguments and reasons for going on strike. Classroom size and time with students are critical components to a good education, and I admire the teachers for standing up for their personal beliefs at all costs. The KSD, on the other hand, is trying to force the teachers back without an agreement, essentially stripping the teachers of their bargaining power.
At the same time, I see people all around me without jobs and I wonder why we can’t find some sort of compromise. Since that hasn’t yet occurred, I’m asking myself and fellow parents why this negotiation process is so difficult. Is it the mediation team who can’t iron out the details or the parties involved? Is KSD digging in its heels and throwing its weight around, or are the teachers making negotiations difficult? It feels like there other issues that haven’t been publicly disclosed, but if that’s the case, what are they? What are we missing? Did some union rep push for a controversial strike this year, or perhaps the KSD decided that its new administration had to take a hard line?
Without a dedicated media source or unbiased third party involved to focus on and investigate the inside story, it is hard to identify ALL of the REAL issues in this Kent teachers’ strike. Instead, we only hear what each of the two sides chooses to disseminate, and we are left to wonder what’s really going on and when a resolution will be reached. In the meantime, the students are the ones suffering.
Let’s get this strike resolved and get our kids back in school. That’s who we’re fighting for, isn’t it?
The teachers need to obey the judge’s order and get back to work. Besides setting a bad example for our kids. They can negotiate while working just like the school district can negotiate while working. I also don’t understand why these negotiations didn’t start months earlier, especially since the union knew that the school district budget is extremely stressed.
I think about all of the teachers laid off in other districts who would probably be happy to be working right now. I think about the janitors, administrative assistants, and other employees who get no paycheck because school is not in session. I feel like teachers are holding the community hostage until their demands are met. I think the teachers need to obey the law just like we ask our kids to do.
Teachers in Kent realize that if we go back to work with no contract we are at the mercy of the school district. Trust me, we would much rather be teaching in the classroom than walking with a picket sign.
Defying a court order was a very difficult choice; we know that there may be ramifications. However, we had to stand tough for our students and for ourselves. Negotiations started in April, which is a fact that the school district does not report. They knew that we were prepared to strike, but continued to drag their feet through the summer. Why? I think they miscalculated our strength.
Sometimes, you have to stand up for what you know is right. I hope we are teaching the students that there is injustice in the world, but sometimes it is necessary to take a stand. You must also realize that there are consequences. We are committed to our students. We have watched them struggle too long. We would not be advocates for learning if we did not take a stand.
Just the facts:
KSD pays Superintendent Vargas $240,000.00 per year. He is also given an $800.00 monthly car allowance. Dr. Vargas makes more than the Vice-President of the United States and more than the Governor of Washington.
Average Annualized Salaries
Salary Rank
Puyallup $79,485 12
Bellevue $80,837 11
Federal Way $82,612 10
Renton $89,497 9
Seattle $89,589 8
Auburn $91,287 7
Lake Washington $92,241 6
Highline $93,953 5
Tahoma $94,238 4
Tacoma $104,331 3
Everett $105,244 2
Kent $108,991 1
Kent Teachers are paid less than most of the districts in the area, but all we want are smaller classes and fewer meetings – isn’t that worth the fight?
http://www.kentschools.org/index.php/priorities-administrators-or-teachers.html
KEA and KSD negotiations have been ongoing since April 2009. After considering a strike in June of 2009, KEA (Kent Education Association) voted NOT to strike. Instead give the new superintendent an opportunity to meet with KEA’s bargaining team and negotiate a contract. KEA’s agenda, “We will meet with you anytime, anywhere”.
In the ensuing two (2) months that followed, there was one negotiation meeting between KEA and KSD. KSD (Dr. Vargas) was NOT AVAILABLE.
Since ending negotiations on Tuesday morning 9/8/09 at 6:00am, KSD is still refusing to meet and negotiate.
Kent teachers did not just give the district 3 days notice before voting to strike. The Kent school district was more than aware the teacher’s would strike in June 2009 if a tentative contract was not available to be agreed upon.
Our requests:
1). Caps on the number of students in each class. Presently, KSD has a cap of 31 students for K-6th grade. Anything over 20 students in K-3rd is just “crowd and behavior control”. Don’t believe me, try teaching for just one hour a 1st grade class with 31 students all by yourself. Especially at the elementary level, how much education is imparted to a student is directly dependent on how much available one-to-one time a teacher has with a student. Education is not just core subjects, but discipline, social behavior, and character instruction.
KSD has NO caps at the middle school level (7-8) nor the high school level (9-12). Surrounding districts ALL have acceptable caps in all levels of education.
2). Decreased meetings. Increasing time for students/parents outside of the classroom. Two 1-hour meetings per
month (all district directed) is not supporting students, parents, or teachers. KEA offered two 1-hour meetings or four 30-minute meetings per month (amounting to the same amount of time) but teacher directed.
Why? Just to give you a few reasons:
To benefit our students; not just to improve our educational techniques and/or department cross-curriculum planning, but conferencing with the parent(s) and mediating ways to encourage and/or deal with social and/or behavioral issues of a
student common to several teachers.
3). Adequate pay. Kent teachers are 19th out of 20 local districts on the Washington pay scale (without the district’s embellishment of adding insurance benefits and sick or discretionary leave pay). KSD has repeatedly been asked to validate their numbers and costs. The chief financial officer for the district has been unable to validate the district’s proposed expenditures. KEA has repeatedly validated in writing their numbers and costs.
KSD’s superintendent is the highest paid administrator in the STATE of Washington at $240K per year. Add to this his $800/month car allowance, insurance benefits, $10,000/year travel expense, matching retirement contribution, and relocation expenses, and who knows what else. (Considering the loss in market value, are Kent taxpayers paying the sales difference in Dr. Vargas’ CA home when sold?)
In the last two weeks of August, Dr. Vargas spent over $13,000 in postage and an unknown amount in hiring staff to stuff envelopes. The expense in postage, labor, paper/envelopes could have paid for additional teaching staff and lowered class sizes.
I am not part of the negotiating team, but I am a former process engineer and presently a teacher in the Kent school district. I have always worked with a contract and I don’t know any professional who does not; and teachers are college educated degreed professionals. Just as the American forefathers defied English taxation, the teachers of Kent will defy the court. We work under a contract, not court rulings. We work for our students and parents and better conditions for teaching; for respect and adequate pay – the superintendent seems to understand the pay part pretty good…
Hopefully, you will do your homework and have a better idea of what is at stake – other teachers and parents from around the state seem to understand. They came out on Monday to support and share with us. On the news, I have very rarely heard comments from those adults in support of the teachers; I have heard regular comments on the news from those against.
The teachers DO WANT TO RETURN TO THE CLASSROOM and are disheartened at the district’s continued refusal to meet and negotiate. Stonewalling is not in the best interests of our students or parents or support staff.
Ann
KentSchools.org
I would love to see one teacher’s sign say “more money for teachers”. If they offered a contract not raising pay would it be taken? I hate this idea that they are only striking for smaller class sizes because we all know that is not what is going on.
Removing meetings (or should I call it what it really is, training) is ridiculous. Training is not only necessary but part of every job. Isn’t the purpose of asking for less training days to give more time to the kids?
Teacher’s know their pay before taking the job just like I did with my job. The above comment of embellishment of insurance and sick pay is a joke. I work a second job just to have medical benefits that are just mediocre. We are in a recession and everyone is struggling, now selfishness has stepped in to make the kids suffer the same. Basically, the teachers are doing everything they are claiming to be fighting for, taking time away from students.