On Wednesday, Sept. 2, buses made their scheduled stops, pencils were sharpened and the morning bell sounded at exactly 7:50 a.m. – right on schedule.
Classes in the Seattle Public Schools system began as planned Wednesday after SPS and the Seattle Education Association (SEA) reached a "tentative agreement" on a new contract late Tuesday night. The final hour agreement comes after a week of uncertainty around a potential strike by SEA members, including teachers, paraprofessionals, secretaries and other staff members.
After the current contract expired Aug. 31, the SEA and SPS officials capped the months-long bargaining process in the final hours before the scheduled start of the 2026-2027 school year. Details of the agreement were not immediately
available.
The SEA shared an update in a social media post confirming that the union and SPS had reached a tentative agreement on a total of 52 issues across wages, special education support and other school support services. SPS posted an update also confirming that the school year would start as planned on Sept. 2. Both announcements came after the final 9:30 p.m. SPS bargaining update.
"Tentative agreement!" SEA shared in a social media post. "We will not be striking and we're excited to welcome our students back to school tomorrow."
"This news follows a tentative agreement reached between SPS and the SEA on a contract to replace the one that expired on Aug. 31," the district wrote in an update. "SPS and SEA have been engaged in negotiations throughout the summer and worked diligently to reach an agreement that supports students, staff, and school communities."
When does school start in Seattle?
The first day of school is Wednesday, Sept. 2, for grades 1 through 12 in the Seattle Public Schools System. Preschool and kindergarten classes begin Tuesday, Sept. 8.
How did SPS and SEA reach a tentative agreement?
Both sides of the bargaining table confirmed that a tentative agreement had been reached late in the evening on Tuesday, Sept. 1. The full details of the new contract have not been made public, but an SEA social media post confirmed that an agreement was reached on all 52 issues proposed by the union.
SPS Superintendent Ben Shuldiner said at an afternoon press conference on Sept. 1 that the district and union representatives were "working very very collaboratively, making incredibly powerful moves towards the center of a mutual agreement." Bargaining went late into the night on Aug. 31 and continued into the early hours of Sept. 1.
"I really want to give a ton of credit to SEA for being willing to stay late, to really go and pass paper back and forth ... I feel very hopeful that we're going to be able to make some decisions," Shuldiner said about the bargaining process. Shuldiner also confirmed that were a strike to take place on the scheduled first day of classes, bagged meals and other services would still be available for students.
SPS provided updates every two hours throughout the evening of Sept. 1 on a potential deal.
How many students are in the SPS system?
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.
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: Seattle district and teachers union reach tentative agreement to avoid strike
