Seattle Public Schools cancel classes again Tuesday due to strike

SEATTLE — Seattle Public Schools (SPS) on Monday reached a tentative agreement with educators over contract negotiations.

The state’s largest school district said details of the tentative agreement are currently confidential, but members of the Seattle Education Association (SEA) will review the proposed contract and vote Tuesday on whether to end the strike.

in the a statement, SPS said they are pleased to welcome students back for the school year and would provide an update on Tuesday as the school starts. Tuesday’s classes had already been canceled when both sides reached an agreement on Monday.

The educators have been on strike since September 7, the first day of school for around 49,000 students in the district.

“We should all be proud of what we have achieved and what we have worked for: support for students and respect for educators,” said the SEA said in a statement Monday.

>> Download KING 5+, our new Roku and Amazon Fire apps, for 24/7 live coverage

In addition to supporting students, educators said they negotiate a manageable workload and competitive pay.

At Garfield High School, with support from the school band, educators spent Monday on the picket line. Teaching assistant Michael Wong said he has been picketing because he sees so much is at stake for students.

“It means an unfair experience for them,” Wong said.

He said this will be the outcome if educators are not given a fair contract that supports multilingual students.

Xochitl Sanchez works with Spanish speaking students.

“We start a little bit from the bottom and try to get them involved in math, writing and reading,” Sanchez said.

“If we’re not there, they don’t know what’s going on,” Wong said.

Wong said he’s making about $19 an hour right now.

“I want to see a meaningful raise enough to make life in Seattle livable and affordable for educators,” Wong said.