Story Published:
Sep 4, 2002 at 3:30 PM PDT
Story Updated:
Aug 31, 2006 at 12:48 AM PDT
ISSAQUAH - Teachers in Issaquah walked the picket lines Wednesday, in front of their empty classrooms.
t was supposed to be the first day of school for 14,000 students. Instead, the students must wait for their district and teachers to make a deal.
There are 900 teachers in the Issaquah School District.
"I'm feeling a little frustrated," said teacher Dan Franco. "I want to be back in the classroom teaching just like the other teachers do here on the picket line."
But instead of opening up the schools, teachers are on strike and kids are off to strike camp.
Parents scrambling for activities found options like the Sammamish Presbyterian Church's hastily created day camp.
This should be Rachael Craik's first day of high school. Her sister Hannah should be starting third grade.
Their mother turned to strike camp to give them structure, when school isn't an option.
"I think for a long term solution, the strike needs to happen. Short term? I want my kids in school," said Sue Craik. "I wanted them in school today. And I just wish that whatever budging is going to happen eventually, just have that happen tomorrow."
The two sides are still more than a million dollars apart.
The school district says all the money's on the table, in a 5.5 percent raise, each year of the contract.
Most of that is the state-mandated cost of living adjustment, so teachers are asking for an additional 3 percent.
"Teachers are expected to do tremendous things," says teacher Phyllis Runyon. "We have a tremendous community of kids to do those tremendous things, but it's still hard, hard work and the compensation needs to be fair."
Issaquah School Superintendent Janet Barry says it is also her goal to be competitive in teacher pay. But she says the district's last offer already stretches the budget, and that taking money from other sources would be irresponsible management.
"It is my belief that increasing this offer out of the reserves or by cutting programs for students would in every way except the short term hurt this school district," Barry explains.
The Issaquah School Board voted to seek a court injunction that would force the teachers back into their classrooms.
Superintendent Barry says she's not pursuing that right now.
Instead, she hopes a state mediator will see reason to call both sides back to the bargaining table on Friday to again try to hammer out a deal.
In the meantime, there's no start date for school scheduled.
Parents interested in Sammamish Presbyterian Church's Strike Camp can call 425-868-5186 or email mainoffice@spconline.org.
The camp has all the high school and middle school aged kids it can accommodate as camp counselors. There is still room for campers in kindergarten through fifth grade.
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