Public schools in Seattle are scheduled to begin the academic year this week, but ongoing contract negotiations may delay the start of classes.
Educators and district officials are continuing to negotiate ahead of the scheduled school year start on Wednesday, Sept. 2. Last week, hundreds of members of the Seattle Education Association (SEA) voted to authorize a strike should the negotiations not resolve before the scheduled first day of school.
Authorizing a strike does not guarantee teachers will walk out, but it does give the educator's union the ability to do so if a new deal is not reached. The current SEA contract expired Aug. 31.
Seattle Public Schools (SPS) publicly released details of their bargaining proposals for the first time on Aug.
30, along with a newsletter update from Shuldiner. These included provisions on proposed salary increases, special education and school support staffing and a list of tentative agreements. The SEA posted a marked up version of the SPS bargaining updates with commentary and a "grade" of 50%. SPS officials also spoke the members of the media at press conference on Aug. 31 to provide updates on the process.
Here's what to know about the upcoming school year in Seattle.
When does school start in Seattle?
The SPS academic year is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Sept. 2, for grades 1 through 12. Preschool and kindergarten classes begin Tuesday, Sept. 8. It's unclear if the start date of the 2026-27 school year will be affected by a strike. The current SEA contract expired on Aug. 31 and bargaining is ongoing.
The Seattle Public Schools system is the largest K-12 education system in Washington. As of Aug. 11, the district has 48,957 enrolled students and 6,404 school-based staff.
What's the latest update on the bargaining process?
SPS Superintendent Ben Shuldiner spoke at a public media briefing on Aug. 31 to address the negotiation process. Shuldiner shared that parts of the labor negotiations are going "very well," and expressed a commitment to supporting students and doing everything possible to open schools on Sept. 2.
In an Aug. 30 bargaining update email, SEA wrote that the district "walked away from the table" on Aug. 29 and then called in a mediator to assist with negotiations. SPS later pushed to find agreement on Special Education policies.
Bargaining went late into Sunday evening, according to Shuldiner, who confirmed that a mediator was brought in to assist with negotiations on Aug. 31.
"I have to really thank SEA for being a really thoughtful partner within this difficult time," Shuldiner said "And why is it difficult? It's difficult because we're broke. If we had money, I would love to give it to everybody, but the problem is, we don't." The district's lack of funding makes negotiations like these "very difficult," he said.
Shuldiner addressed the union's strike authorization vote and said the district will try to provide meals and other services to students if a strike does begin on the scheduled first day of school. "At the end of the day, the 50,000 children in the Seattle Public Schools are my responsibility," Shuldiner said. "We are going to do whatever it takes to make sure that we will do what we can to support our kids."
It's still unclear if a strike will begin on Sept. 2. The SEA will hold a Fair Contract Rally at 5 p.m. on Sept. 1 at the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence.
What is the Seattle Educators Association?
The Seattle Education Association (SEA) is the teachers union for Seattle Public Schools teachers, paraprofessionals, office professionals and other staff members. The union has around 6,000 members across 106 schools in the district.
When was the last teachers strike in Seattle?
Seattle teachers and educators went on strike in 2022, according to The Seattle Times. That strike lasted five days and classes started one week after the scheduled start of the school year.
Zachary Fletcher is a trending news reporter with USA TODAY Network's Washington state team. Keep up with him on X (@zdfletch), BlueSky (@zfletcher.bsky.social) or reach him at zfletcher@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Latest on Seattle schools' bargaining as first day of class nears
