Negotiations will continue Sunday.
Negotiations between Seattle Public Schools and the striking teachers union will continue Sunday with a new offer by the school district to set aside funds to compensate teachers for a proposed extended school day.
The district’s bargaining team made the offer during resumed talks with negotiators for the Seattle Education Association on Saturday, district spokeswoman Stacy Howard said. Up until Saturday, the two sides had been communicating through state mediators.
The district previously proposed adding 20 minutes to the school day starting in the 2017-18 school year, but the union opposed any increase without addtional pay for the extra work time.
Washington Education Association spokesman Rich Wood said there’s no agreement on the new offer.
What to do with your children while Seattle teachers strike
Read more about the strike
- Seattle parents share how they are handling their kids being out of school
- Pay varies widely for Washington state teachers
- In 1985, Seattle teachers went on strike for 19 days
- When courts have weighed in on teacher strikes, districts have usually won
Opinion
- From a teacher: An unavoidable strike
- From the board: There's no money left
The school-day and compensation issues are among several unresolved items on the table between the two camps. The sides are also negotiating pay increases.
Teachers went on strike Wednesday on what was to be the first day of the new school year for the district’s 53,000 students. Classes were cancelled through Friday.
The district hasn’t announced whether classes will be cancelled for a fourth day on Monday.