By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – The Port Angeles School District issued a statement on Friday in response to the picket lines and the promise of a strike by the district’s paraeducators, who are demanding an annual 3.7% cost-of-living allowance. The regular teachers’ union voted on Wednesday to honor the picket lines in the event of a strike.
The statement read, in part “Our District will attempt to avoid a strike, but this must be done in a manner that is financially sustainable moving forward. If a strike becomes inevitable, we will provide as much notice as possible to our school community.”
It also says that the only way the district will be able to give the paraeducators the 3.7% COLA they want would be to make cuts in levy funded programs such as athletics, music, and student support services. The statement reads: “We feel these are important student programs that the community supports, and we will work very hard to avoid reductions in these programs.”
District officials also say that student enrollment is down, while Special Education numbers continue to grow to nearly 20% of the student population, which has caused the district to hire more staff to meet the needs of those individual students.
District officials also say they are paying the highest starting and top wage to paras than any other district in Clallam County.
The statement ends with this: “Rest assured we will continue to attempt to resolve these complex problems and avoid an interruption of our school year.”