School has been canceled Tuesday in the Evergreen School District as negotiations continue with the district and the Evergreen Education Association.
“We have been negotiating all weekend and have spent countless hours working together in an effort to reach an agreement that would allow us to begin school as soon as possible. We are continuing at the bargaining table today with sincere hopes of reaching an agreement,” the two sides said in a joint statement released Monday afternoon.
“Given the fact that it is Monday afternoon, we want to update you that we are continuing to work towards reaching an agreement, but under the best of circumstances, would not be able to logistically start school Tuesday,” the statement said. “Thank you for your patience.”
The conciliatory tone took a harsher edge at about 7:30 p.m. when the union posted a statement on Facebook saying the talks had ended for the day.
“It is with great disappointment we announce that bargaining is done already,” the statement said. “At around 6:45 p.m., the district e-mailed the EEA bargaining team their only proposal for the day and packed up and went home without explaining the proposal.”
“We will remain on strike Tuesday,” the statement continued. “Please contact John Steach and the school board and demand the district return to the table and work toward settlement!”
The district fired back two hours later with a statement claiming that its proposal “keeps Evergreen as the highest paid teachers in Southwest Washington.”
The statement said the district proposal includes a salary range from $51,288 to $98,279 in the first year and $52,263 to $100,090 in the second year.
“In addition to allocating all of the dedicated teacher salary McCleary funding to teachers’ salaries, the district proposal also includes an additional average of $11,561 per FTE out of the local levy,” the district statement said. “This same local levy is being reduced by 45 percent or $29.5 million dollars per year starting in January. The EEA Leadership proposal would require an additional $9 million per year of levy funds which would result in significant cuts and adjustments to other levy funded areas starting in the 2019-2020 school year or sooner.”
The district’s statement said it is awaiting a response from the union leadership on the proposal.
“The District is also waiting on a future meeting time and location,” the statement said.
