Bellevue teachers picket as strike looms

By Lindsay Larin and Carrie Wood

Bellevue Reporter

Carrying picket signs that read "No Contract? No School!" approximately 800 Bellevue teachers and parents circled the parking lot outside the school district headquarters Wednesday night.

A possible strike looms over the district as negotiations continue between the district and the teachers' union, the Bellevue Education Association.

Bellevue's teachers will strike Tuesday, Sept. 2 - the first day of school - if a tentative contract is not reached. Negotiators representing the union will meet with the district over the weekend in hopes of reaching an agreement.

As of the Reporter's deadline, the two sides remained apart over compensation and the district's mandated Web-based curriculum.

Swarms of teachers and parents packed the district's board room Wednesday night during the board meeting and poured out into the foyer.

In response to voiced concerns from teachers and parents, Interim Superintendent Karen Clark spoke for the board saying there really isn't anything that can be said here and conversations could go on forever. It's very complicated, she continued, saying none of the board members are at the negotiating table.

She praised the negotiating team for being "extremely creative" and "agile" and said she's been proud of the district's teachers and finds it hard to believe that a common ground won't be found.

In the area of compensation, the district claims it has offered an increase in supplemental pay of 1.5 percent for the coming school year. Taking into account the 5.1 percent cost of living raise given by the state, the district says it is prepared to offer a total salary increase of 6.6 percent in 2008-2009. The union has a counter-compensation proposal that equates to 11 percent over a three-year period.

According to the district's Web site, to meet the union's three-year salary requests, the district would need to make significant additional reductions in staff in all categories, an action that district officials say would have a grave impact on the schools.

Union negotiator and teacher Todd Mahaffey says the district's contract updates that are currently posted on the district's web site are misleading.

"The district's proposal is 1.5 percent, but .5 percent of that is not new money. So it's really like a one percent raise," he said. "On paper it translates to one percent the first year, zero percent the second year, and .5 percent the third year."

The district also states that healthcare premium costs will increase from 7.25 percent to 11.4 percent in 2008-2009, depending on the plan the employee chooses. The state support for benefits increased 3.5 percent. A remainder of .65 percent remains uncovered.

"The district is claiming they are giving us a pay raise, but what they've really done is cut from our benefits, cut from supplemental hours to pay for this and their current proposal has many teachers taking a salary reduction in their take-home pay," Bellevue school teacher Matt Johnson explained as he passed out picket signs Wednesday night.

For parents like Susan Pomeroy, the concern shifts to the Curriculum Web.

"You have teachers who have master's degrees who are told to write lessons so a truck driver can understand it. Like anybody could walk in and teach the lesson," Pomeroy said. "By doing so, what value are we giving our teachers?"

Johnson, a teacher for 13 years, agrees.

"As teachers, we need to tailor our instruction every single day to the student's capabilities and needs," he said. "Every student has a learning style that is fundamental to teaching and education."

On Monday, the district presented an offer that would give teachers the freedom to use professional judgment with regard to daily lessons in the curriculum. The offer allows them to modify existing lessons and create new lessons to better meet student needs.

Bellevue Education Association President Michele Miller said the district still would require teachers to submit alternative plans in advance for approval, prior to making adjustments to the curriculum.

Negotiations are scheduled through the Labor Day weekend and will continue until an agreement is reached. The Bellevue School District Web site will keep parents updated throughout the process at www.bsd405.org, as will the Reporter at www.bellevuereporter.com.

"We have had a lot of good discussion at the table and both sides have made some progress in discussions. The difficult part is when the language starts to get written down," Mahaffey explained. "We have to ensure what is in the written contract translates to the different teaching positions in a fair and accurate way."

Lindsay Larin can be reached at llarin@reporternewspapers.com or 425-453-4602.

Carrie Wood can be reached at cwood@reporternewspapers.com or 425-453-4290.

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