School start in limbo

Talks continue, but teachers set strike deadline

By Sarah Koenig Enterprise writer

Parents who wonder whether school will start on time this year have a few more days to wait to find out.

Both the Shoreline Education Association (SEA) and Shoreline Educational Support Professionals Association (SESPA) say they will go on strike Sept. 5 if they don't reach tentative agreements with the Shoreline School District by 6 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4.

At the Enterprise deadline, no agreements were reached, but negotiations were scheduled for Thursday, Friday and the weekend. Both unions voted Aug. 29 to authorize the strike.

If there's a strike, school won't start Sept. 5 as scheduled.

"Educators don't want to be on strike -- we want to be in our classrooms, but we're willing to go on strike to make sure kids have what they need to be successful," said Elizabeth Beck, co-president of the Shoreline Education Association. "We're hoping our school board will direct its bargainers to work with us to reach those tentative agreements."

Craig Degginger, district spokesperson, said officials were disappointed by the vote.

"We really value and appreciate all of our teachers and support personnel -- it's a difficult situation for all of us, but we're committed to seeing the bargaining process through," he said. "I'm hopeful we will be able to reach a settlement."

The district has been in talks with the two unions for months, and a state mediator has been called in for talks with both. One issue is the cost of living increase, or COLA. Union members will get state COLA funding, but district funding is in question.

All SEA members will get a 4.3 percent COLA next year on their "basic contract." That means a 4.3 percent COLA on most, but not all, of the days they work at school, with no COLA on things like activity pay.

As for SESPA, the state funds more of the COLA for some positions than others, and for many positions it funds no COLA at all. The district proposed that SESPA members could get a COLA if they took cuts in days worked and funding for training.

Union members have endured cuts for years because of past district mismanagement and overspending, union members say. That's meant large class sizes, lack of supplies and professional development and other cuts.

"People are saying we're not willing to give up any more," said Donna Lurie, Uniserve representative for the two unions.

Union leaders suggested other cuts, including changes to ASB funding, corporate sponsorship of the stadium and higher fees for sports, but officials won't consider them, Lurie said.

"We are willing to do our fair share, but not to carry the burden of restoring the district to a large reserve," she said, adding that SESPA members are at the bottom of the pay scale.

In response, district officials point to the state's mandate to balance the 2007-08 budget. The district can't afford to fully fund all COLAs for all SEA and SESPA members because they're large employee groups, they say.

"There are a number of provisions within (both) contracts that are expensive and not funded by the state," said Marcia Harris, deputy superintendent. "Some things we did in the past we can't continue to afford. Some are extras other districts do not have."

Programs, administrative staff and district offerings have already been cut to help balance the budget, and officials continue to look for cuts in other areas, they say.

Harris said she wished the district could do more for union members. "Right now we cannot," she said. "We have to be financially solvent."