Pasco School District Prepares for Strike

After the weekend passed without any progress on a new contract with teachers, the Pasco School Board met Monday, and passed several resolutions preparing them for a potential strike September 1st.

The board approved by a unanimous vote a measure that would ban striking teachers from school grounds, and grant the superintendent the authority to seek legal action if a strike occurs.

Currently, Washington state law prevents teacher strikes. At issue is a difference of about $8-9 million dollars as part of the school district reserves of $30 million. Teachers want about $12 million to be spent on refurbishing curriculum, and filling in missing areas. They also want the money spent on establishing a cross-district plan for all grades and schools.

The District has offered $3 million. As of this writing, no progress or announcements have been made about if they are any closer to a resolution.

The teachers union represents about 1,100 educators in the district. Many teachers and other educators attended the Monday meeting.

If negotiations fail, a strike vote is set to take place August 31st.