Ridgefield schools were closed indefinitely until funding disputes were resolved due to teacher strikes.
The strike in Seattle went on for more than three days. Teachers vowed to continue rallying outside schools every weekday until an agreement was reached. Their issue was a 6.5% pay increase. Union representatives claim it is to help teachers deal with the rising cost of living in the city.
Seattle is not the only Washington union to announce a strike. In Ridgefield, the Ridgefield Education Association, which represents teachers in the district, posted a statement on their social media explaining that their negotiations have also reached an impasse.
HAPPENING NOW: Ridgefield school teachers are on strike as an agreement for a new contract has not been met.
Hear from teachers and the district tonight at 4/5 @KGWNews pic.twitter.com/8XeHjuj5bU
— Daisy Caballero (@_DaisyCaballero) September 9, 2022
“We were unable to come to an agreement with the district this evening and REA members will begin striking Friday morning until a tentative agreement is reached. While progress has been made toward an agreement, the RSD team has refused to see its available resources,” the union said. According to the statement, the union requests the district increase funding for “special education students, more counselors for mental health supports, and a better program for student interventions.”
“None of us want to be on strike, but ignoring our dysfunctional intervention program, unsafe staffing levels and the need for more counselors when the district has the money to do something about it is unacceptable,” The union co-president, Elizabeth Stamp, said. “We are united with the Ridgefield community demanding what our students deserve and we’re calling on the district to do the right thing.”
We were unable to come to an agreement with the district this evening and REA members will begin striking Friday morning until a tentative agreement is reached.
While progress has been made toward an agreement, the RSD team has refused to use its available resources to provide pic.twitter.com/ytwNNI5qtz— Ridgefield Education Association (@RidgefieldEduA) September 9, 2022
The school district addressed the strike in their own statement. They informed parents that, “despite making progress, we, unfortunately, did not come to an agreement on the terms of a new contract and have been informed by the teachers’ union that they will be going on strike.”
Schools were closed and school-sponsored services like free lunches were not available until the strike was resolved.
