Teacher strike won't allow kids to return to school in Kent (Seattle: home, transfer)

[Anders15]

I just happened toread a little about this. Although I am not in the area, what exactly is the problem? Is it worth keeping children out of school like this? Can someone clarify?

[jinj]

Teachers are complaining about class sizes, and that they care for the children.

So what do they do? Go on strike..... yep, its about money and thats it really.

[Anders15]

Wow how soon do you think kids will be able to start school? Is there a alternate plan or are they just going to be sitting around at home?? Is this grade school or colleges too?

As someone looking to transfer with children this has made things even more confusing, like what about orientations?? How will student make up the time they missed.. Summer school?

[texastrigirl]

OP, are you relocating to Kent specifically?

With all due respect they do have fairly large class sizes in Kent...I was freaking out about the 27 kids in my son's 4th grade class at an excellent Issaquah Elem school when a Kent mother told me they can have upwards in the 30's in terms of class size, even in the lower grades. But I also think the teachers are asking for a 10% raise which is really going to mess with the bond ratings for Kent schools because it would make them screw up their reserve fund to give it. It doesn't seem there is a great answer to this.

To answer the OP, the kids do not go to school and yes, they sit around at home and their working parents have to figure out what to do with them. This is all schools in the Kent district (one of many in the greater Seattle area) but not colleges...just K-12. Time is typically made up at the end of the term so Kent kids could be going to school well into late June if this is not resolved soon.

Does this help?

[cedar_bluff_tree_farm]

Class sizes is part of it. Too many meetings (the union wants 2 per month, the administration wants 4 per month) and a disagreement on a raise (union wants 10%, school offers 4.5%) are the other parts of it.

Problem is, class sizes isn't easily in the control of the administration. That argument needs to be heard by the state legislature, as they are the ones they can fix it.

I don't have sympathy for too many boring meetings to sit through. I'd love to fix that problem at my workplace.

I understand why teachers want a raise, but 10% is a huge raise. 4.5% is generous at my workplace.

[Anders15]

Oh i see now, that is way too many kids and stress on the teachers. Yeah I am looking into the kent area. I'm guessing they expect this to last a while and maybe the !0% is to make up for all the money they're losing on strike? Judge ordered them back today (http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_teacher_contracts.html?source=mypi - broken link) calling their actions illegal. I hope everyone can agree to something soon. For the kids.

[secret_squirrel]

"I don't have sympathy for too many boring meetings to sit through. I'd love to fix that problem at my workplace."

It's not that the meetings are boring, it's that they occupy even more time would be spent planning for teaching and grading papers. Teachers do a ton of work off the clock and time spent on most of these meetings is just more time keeping them from getting their work done.

Seems like admin can forget that not everyone has time to sit in meetings all day. Someone's got to actually do the work.

[Anders15]

So are the teachers coming back yet? If they don't, they aren't really going to fine/put in jail all of them right? Then they would have no teachers at all..

[Anders15]

Also on a normal school year when do students start/end school? What are the daily hours? Thanks

[AzDreamer]

Originally Posted by Anders15

Also on a normal school year when do students start/end school? What are the daily hours? Thanks

Each school district has their own calendar and in high school the hours vary by when your first class starts and when your last class ends. If you have a specific district in mind just go to their web site.