Southwest Washington teacher unions spent the first day of school in protest for better pay.
According to Tom Opstad, an associate professor in the WSU Vancouver Education Department, “Emotion is a strong motivator and I think there may be some damaged feelings that have already developed in various districts that will need to be mended.”
Ridgefield Education Association (REA) President Alan Adams explained, “The McCleary Act is a Supreme Court decision that’s been going on for about 12 years and just recently passed a budget that sends significant new funds from the state to the districts. A big chunk of the money is meant to improve teacher salaries because recruiting and retaining quality teachers is one of the biggest challenges districts face right now.”
Since June, districts across Washington bargained for solutions that the McCleary Act promised to cover. Opstad said, “Increase from McCleary is a good thing because it increases the starting wage for a beginner teacher.”
Opstad, once a superintendent of the Aberdeen school district, understands the district office’s point of view.
“With this whole process there has to be a way to find a balance. Teachers do deserve a pay increase, but they need to work together,” he said.
Opstad stressed the importance of working together throughout this process. He said, “Everything is based on student enrollment; all levy rates will drop and in theory the McCleary act will take over, but the district office are taking a risk on their own salaries and risking some programs too when negotiating salaries for the teachers.”
When REA President Adams asked the teachers of Ridgefield to vote to go on strike, 80 percent of teachers showed up and of those in attendance, 98 percent voted yes to strike. According to Adams, the union only needed a 60 percent yes vote for a strike.
While teachers are out on the picket line, the district office and the negotiating team continue to bargain for a deal.
Adams thought going into this bargaining session that it would be a collaborative process and he said that is not what is happening.
When Opstad was asked about professional relationships being strained during the negotiating process he said, “Both sides understand that each party has responsibilities to their constituents and work to achieve the best possible outcome. They are often aligned but at times there will be differences that lead and can lead to conflict.” He encourage that once the strike is over, both sides put the past behind them and move forward for the benefit of the district and the students.
“We are doing our best to make sure we don’t make our issues about particular people in our administration, but rather about policy choices. While it is easy to see this negotiation as opposing sides, it’s important to remember that teachers and administrators are part of the same organization that work together toward a common goal. It is my hope that we can move forward together once our differences are resolved,” Adams said.
Ridgefield teachers began striking Aug. 29 and plan to continue until negotiations are settled.
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