SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. – Members of the Mead Education Association (MEA) gathered at the Mead School District building Monday to rally in support of their representatives negotiating a new contract.
The union has been bargaining with the district since May.
The demonstration comes as educators express frustration that their classroom needs remain unaddressed by district leadership. Teachers say they want their new contract to reflect the realities of their daily work environment and provide better support for student learning.
Class size emerged as a central concern during today’s rally, with teachers describing overcrowded classrooms that prevent them from giving individual attention to students with varying academic needs.
“In that fifth grade classroom with 30 children, you could have kids reading, you know, all different levels,” said Michelle Ives, a teacher at Farwell Elementary. “A teacher wants to meet the needs of their children.”
Cherish Schrader, a kindergarten teacher at Farwell Elementary, echoed these concerns about classroom capacity.
“If we had a smaller class size, then we would be able to meet those more diverse needs,” Schrader said.
The rally took place outside the school district offices while union representatives met with district officials inside.
Toby Doolittle, president of the Mead Education Association, participated in today’s negotiations and described the challenges teachers face in meeting diverse student needs.
“Those things take a lot of work and dedication and intentional instruction. And so we’re looking for real solutions on how to meet that challenge,” Doolittle said.
The Mead School District responded to today’s demonstration with a statement addressing the ongoing negotiations:
“The Mead School District deeply values the incredible work our teachers do each day to inspire and educate students. For the past few months, we have been engaged in collaborative, good-faith negotiations with the Mead Education Association. Bargaining is always a process of listening, sharing, and finding solutions together, and we appreciate the constructive dialogue with our teachers’ representatives. We remain optimistic about the progress we’ve made and are committed to reaching an agreement that supports our educators, sets our students up for success and upholds our responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars.”
The MEA maintains that basic needs are going unmet by the district.
“The progress has been slow because, quite frankly, the district hasn’t come with any solutions to our big concerns around student safety and inclusion of students in our facility,” Doolittle said.
The union’s current contract expires at the end of August and classes are scheduled to begin September 2nd. Despite the ongoing dispute, teachers emphasized their commitment to students and families.
“We’re here to really support families and students and work. We don’t want them to worry. We want them to feel that we are doing our due diligence by being out here,” Ives said.
No agreement was reached Monday. Two new bargaining sessions have been scheduled.
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