The Seattle School District announced on 7/22/20 that due to rising transmission rates and health and safety concerns, the Superintendent's recommendation is now remote-only to start the school year. SEA supports this new recommendation which prioritizes the health and safety of our students, families, and members. We would like to thank all our members who have been providing us feedback through listening sessions, surveys and emails. Your voice matters! In particular, we would like to thank our bargaining team and bargaining support teams who have been working tirelessly over the past month and continue to do so.

We know that remote-only is extremely difficult for our students and families and that our members want to return to in-person as soon as it is truly safe to do so. Unfortunately, we simply cannot safely return to in-person learning when we have failed to control the spread of Covid. We know we all have our work cut-out for us to ensure that remote learning in the fall will be as robust, equitable and accessible as possible, and to support our families and communities during this ongoing pandemic.

Click HERE to see the Seattle Public Schools announcement.

SEA Leadership

-- CLICK HERE TO VIEW BARGAINING UPDATES --
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Impact Bargaining Priorities

Based on bargaining survey data, input from the Representative Assembly, building meetings led by SEA building representatives, discussions with SEA Board of Directors, and member concerns, SEA developed the following priorities.

We stand for the health and safety of the whole community.

• Clean and healthy school sites will be essential and require district-provided equipment
• Need adequate health professional staffing to implement and monitor all safety protocols, allowing office professionals to continue their regular duties
• Options so that our most vulnerable members can safely work, and our most vulnerable students can safely learn.
• Planning for and preparing our substitute educators so they are fully equipped to provide the critical support we need.

We stand for strong teaching and learning for all students.

• Professional development to learn new strategies for remote-learning engagement as well as more authentic forms of assessment.
• Center the needs of our most impacted students, no matter how schools re-open.
• Fully utilize our paraeducators' skills and expertise.
• Ensure equitable workloads and consistent expectations that educators and families understand.

We stand for supporting the whole child.

• Creating welcoming learning environments and honoring students' identities including race, ethnicity, ability, immigration status, or LGBTQIA+ identities.
• Professional development and planning to employ trauma-responsive strategies as students will be returning to school having experienced the trauma of a pandemic and racial injustices.
• Additional mental health and behavioral health supports- recognizing the expertise of our counselors, social workers, nurses, family support workers, and others who have built strong connections with families and community partners to support students.

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Meet the Bargaining Team!

Jennifer Matter, SEA President & SEA Bargaining Chair; Yvette De La Cruz, SEA Executive Director & SEA Bargaining Co-Chair; Marquita Prinzing, Center for Racial Equity Director; Marla Rasmussen, Paraprofessional President; Elizabeth Ward-Robertson, SAEOP President; Celina Austin, Paraprofessional Vice President; Micheal Melonson, Student and Family Advocate - Paraprofessional; Kim Nickerson, SAEOP Vice-President; Stan Strasner, Substitutes President; Peter Henry, Substitutes Vice President; Vallerie Fisher, SEA Treasurer/Family Support Worker; Shannon Ratner, Admin Assistant; Dazanne Davis-Porter, Kindergarten Teacher; Edmund Trangen, Humanities Teacher; Erin Carroll, OT/PT; Jeanine Calceta, Substitutes Board; Kara Golgert, Pre-K Teacher; Meesh Vecchio, SPED Teacher; Lynne Oliphant, Nurse; Alison Enochs, Nurse; Len Hill, Consulting Teacher; Mahamoud Gaayte, ELL Paraprofessional; Priscilla Allen, Elementary Teacher; Ann Dunbar, Elementary School Teacher; Sarah Lockenvitz, Middle School Teacher;

SEA UniServ Team: Reiko Dabney, Tim Kopp, Ceci Mena, Kristi Taylor.

There are another 40 members who sit on the bargaining subcommittees that we will highlight in future updates.

Communications is a Two-Way Street
The communications team (consisting of governance, bargaining team members, and SEA staff supported by WEA staff) will email and publish an Impact Bargaining Update with important details and actions related to the bargaining process. The communications team relies heavily on leaders within our union to keep in contact with members from their buildings or programs.

This is a two-way street. If members have concerns, they should also reach out to their building or program leaders.

We will mobilize members to show unity in support of the bargain. Watch for updates with the latest on what's happening at the bargaining table and information on important ways for you to show your support!