‘Respectful pay’ and smaller class sizes — Seattle teachers union authorizes strike

Teachers went on strike in 2022

Members of the Seattle Education Association have voted to authorize a strike, escalating contract negotiations with Seattle Public Schools days before the scheduled September 2 start of the school year.

The authorization comes four years after the union took the rare step of launching a strike in pounding out a contract with the district in 2022 with wins on special education and salaries. With the end of that three-year pact, the two sides are back at it again.

Representing roughly 6,000 teachers, paraeducators, counselors, and support staff, the union says it approved the strike authorization with 91% support following 24 bargaining sessions that began in June.

Union leaders say that members are seeking an agreement focused on shifting resources to the classroom, strengthening special education supports, along with “respectful pay,” and “easing pressurization on educators” with smaller class sizes.

“Our members have spoken, and we are united in our commitment to Seattle students,” Davina Diaz, SEA vice president and lead bargainer, said in the union’s announcement. “We are ready to keep working toward an agreement that gives educators the conditions we need to support every student and build the thriving schools our community deserves.”

While the vote does not guarantee a walkout, it empowers union leadership to call a strike if an agreement is not reached before classes begin. SEA president Ibijoke Idowu said that educators prefer not to strike, but warned the district must prioritize student learning and necessary staff supports.

Seattle’s public school district is facing ongoing challenges amid falling enrollment. Enrollment is hovering around 49,000 students, representing a drop of roughly 4,500 to 5,000 students from its pre-pandemic peak of 53,627 in 2019–2020. Elementary buildings are currently operating at an average of roughly 65% capacity, well below the district’s 85% target. The primary driver of the long-term decline is smaller incoming classes.

The district’s plan to shutter under-enrolled elementary schools including Stevens Elementary on Capitol Hill was met with strong public backlash in 2024 but the economic factors driving the push have not improved.

Seattle Public Schools is facing a chronic structural budget deficit, operating with an annual general fund budget of roughly $1.35 billion while managing annual shortfalls in the $90 million to $130 million range. The state allocates school funding primarily on a per-pupil model. With its enrollment dropping, SPS loses tens of millions annually in state basic education funding. Meanwhile, federal pandemic relief funds have fully expired.

The median and average salary for Seattle Public Schools teachers sits at approximately $117,000 per year. The SEA collective bargaining agreement sets the base salary band between $74,736 (entry-level BA) and $146,088 (MA/Doctorate + 90 credits with 15+ years experience). Paraprofessionals and instructional assistants in the district earn significantly less, with average annual salaries ranging between $45,000 and $55,000 — or roughly $30–$35/hour.

Daily bargaining sessions will continue as both sides work to reach a resolution.

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