Snohomish Education Association Teacher Financial Details

Published on HeraldNet on Saturday, September 14, 2002
Kids picket to go to school

By Diana Hefley
Herald Writer

SNOHOMISH -- Three young girls with handmade picket signs marched along Bonneville Avenue Friday protesting an eight-day teachers strike that has delayed school for them.

"I'm bored. I want to go to school," said 11-year-old Melissa Foster. "So we're on strike."

Melissa, her 9-year-old sister Julie Foster and their best friend Brionna Cross, 11, don't understand the complicated tug of war that has resulted in the Snohomish School District's first strike in history

To these young students, it's simple: The adults need to compromise so the kids can get back to Riverview Elementary School and see their friends.

"Maybe the teachers could have a car wash or have a penny drive to earn extra money," said Melissa, who explained that the three girls have been collecting pennies to donate to Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle all summer.

But it is going to take more than a penny drive to raise the money teachers want for salary increases and to help pay for rising insurance costs.

The district says it does not have the money to meet those demands and fulfill the promises it made to taxpayers who approved a levy for updated curriculum and technology and a backlog of maintenance repairs.

"We feel like our kids are being used as pawns for financial gain," said Rick Foster, Melissa and Julie's dad. "I see both sides. The teachers do deserve more, but I don't see where the district can pay more."

The district's 470 teachers have been on strike since Sept. 4, giving about 8,200 students an extended summer vacation. The Snohomish Education Association and the Snohomish School District have been meeting since May, but remain apart on key issues.

The two chief negotiators met with the mediator Thursday at his office in Kirkland. Both sides met again for four hours on Friday, but were unable to reach an agreement. The mediator has called them back to another bargaining session at 2 p.m. Sunday. Even if the district and union reach a tentative agreement on Sunday, students likely would not return to class on Monday.

Teachers will need to ratify a contract before they end the strike, union president Kit Raney said.

District officials say they are not ready to seek a court injunction to force teachers back to work. Earlier this week, the Issaquah School District announced it would take legal action to end its districtwide strike.

The Snohomish School District is not ready to take that step, although it believes the strike is illegal, district spokeswoman J. Marie Merrifield said.

You can call Herald Writer Diana Hefley at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to hefley@heraldnet.com.

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