MEAD, Wash. — Teachers in the Mead School district might not return for the first day of school unless a bargaining agreement with the district is made before the end of the month.
At the general membership meeting on Thursday, 97% of Mead Education Association (MEA) members present voted in favor of the bargaining team initiating a strike if a tentative agreement is not reached by midnight on August 31.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Mead School District teachers still without contract as school year approaches
MEA has been negotiating with the district for months. The association said some of the major negotiation points are the district’s policy on disciplining students and growing class sizes.
“To ensure our classrooms are safe for students and staff, we need proactive solutions to meet the needs in our classroom,” said MEAD EA President Toby Doolittle. “Current practices are inconsistent and rely too heavily on our teachers, who already have a massive workload…We need smaller class sizes and shared responsibility for addressing issues that arise in our classrooms. We have suggested solutions, several of which have no cost associated with them. Meeting the needs of Mead students requires an investment in our classrooms. It’s time for the district to adhere to previous agreements and provide a clear and workable plan for meeting the pressing challenges in our classrooms, so we can settle this bargain.”
The Mead School Board issued a press release last week saying the union is misrepresenting the investment the district has made in its teachers.
“District representatives have bargained in good faith for months and will continue to do so. Our team has continually expressed a willingness to engage in ongoing dialogue and collaborate with teachers about the best, most effective ways to address their needs and concerns. The MEA thinks a public pressure campaign and disparaging the district are good bargaining tactics. They’re not. Our position is steady: negotiate in good faith, work toward a fair deal, but don’t make promises that will weaken the district and cost taxpayers down the road. That’s not stubbornness – it’s responsibility,” the statement read.
MEA said its members are excited to get back to the classroom and hope to return after Labor Day, as expected.
Bargaining will resume on August 29. The first day of school is September 2.
4 News Now reached out to Mead School District for a response to the strike authorization, but has not yet heard back.
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