PORT ANGELES – The Port Angeles School District and teacher’s union reps will return to the bargaining table Tuesday night to try to avoid a strike.
John Henry, President of the Port Angeles Education Association says the District agreed to the 5.5% cost-of-living allowance, but they have not made any progress on the issues of planning time during the work day or reduced class size.
“Our members need adequate planning time to assimilate all of those things that we learned about social/emotional needs, recovering learning loss, but we need time to figure out how to get those things implemented in our classes. We need smaller class sizes so that we can really reach those students. Those are big issues. And of course, salary was an issue, and the District made motion on salary, which is good, but they have still refused to bargain on class size and planning time, among a bunch of other things. If they’re serious, if they’re ready to bargain, and try to figure out solutions, then I think we can get something that our members can can support.”
If not, union members voted Monday night to authorize a strike.
“Well, at some point we have to hold the line and get what we need to support our students. Nobody wants to strike. Our members don’t want to strike. We want to see our students. I’m really looking forward to seeing my students. I can’t wait. So, we really hope that the District is willing to come to the table and find a way to solve those problems, so that we can bring something to our members that they’ll accept.”
District Communications Coordinator Carmen Geyer responded to our request for comment with the following:
“The district continues to put all its energy into the collective bargaining process. Reaching an agreement with our educators is our top priority and settling the deal before the first school day on September 1. Our ultimate goal is to reach a fair contract that is sustainable. These are highly complex matters and affect everyone in our school communities. We will stay committed to the bargaining process until we reach an agreement.”
Tuesday’s meeting is scheduled for 6:00-10:00pm. We’ll work to have an update in time for our Wednesday morning newscast.