Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Ben Shuldiner has publicly disclosed teacher compensation details in response to the Seattle Education Association's (SEA) threat to strike over contract negotiations, a move that could delay the start of the school year for approximately 50,000 students.
In a letter to parents on Sunday, Shuldiner revealed that the majority of Seattle Public Schools teachers earn a base salary of $118,000 for 180 days of work. This is supplemented by additional pay for contractual days, tech days, and Time, Responsibility and Incentive pay, bringing the total compensation to an average of $142,584 annually. Shuldiner noted that this figure does not include other benefits such as retirement contributions, stipends, or extra hours.
The SEA had threatened to walk out unless a 12 percent pay increase was authorized. Shuldiner countered by highlighting the existing salaries and stating that the proposed raise is already accounted for within current contract structures. The district has offered the SEA a minimum of an 8.8 percent raise over three years, which Shuldiner stated is based on estimated inflation rates and would be adjusted upwards if inflation exceeds projections.
This offer is reportedly higher than the 1.73 percent raise approved for non-union staff on August 26, which also included two furlough days.
Negotiations have also stalled over the union's demands for increased classroom resources, lower staff-to-student ratios, and enhanced support for special education programs. Shuldiner claimed that the union had not presented specific counter-proposals to the district's plan for relocating special education services and had been slow to commit to bargaining meetings.
Shuldiner expressed a commitment to reaching an agreement before the scheduled start of the school year on Wednesday, stating, "We are willing to meet with the mediator, morning, noon, and night. We are willing to pay retro once a deal is done, we are willing to adjust and compromise, but what I am not willing to do is play a game with our children's education."
The SEA, however, has indicated readiness for a strike if an agreement is not reached. "We're united and ready to go! If SPS forces us to strike, we'll be ready," the union stated in a Facebook post.
The union's president, Ibijoke Idowu, is currently on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into allegations of physically grabbing a third-grade special education student, leaving the child with bruises. An investigation by Seattle Public Schools Human Resources found it "more likely than not" that Idowu abused the student. While Idowu denies the allegations, her employment status remains undecided, and she is not listed on her school's website.