Tentative Contract for Seattle Teachers

     Seattle School officials and leaders of the district’s teacher’s union say they’re putting the finishing touches on a tentative contract.  In brief statements issued Monday evening, both sides say they hope to disclose details of the proposal Tuesday (this) afternoon. Until then, the sides agreed not to discuss information that’s been hammered out at the negotiating table over the past two weeks.

     Union and district teams have been working out contract language all summer. Talks hit a snag two weeks ago over the district’s plan to overhaul the way teachers are evaluated, including the use of student test scores as part of their overall assessment. Union leaders say they support a new evaluation system but oppose including test scores because they don’t fairly represent a teacher’s effectiveness.

     Union members are scheduled to meet Thursday, at which time a vote could be held on a tentative contract. Most Seattle schools are set to open September 8th. (Classes begin today (Tues) at West Seattle and Hawthorne Elementaries).   

     KPLU is following the negotiations, and we’ll report the details of the proposed contract language when its released.