Kent teachers vote to defy judge's order, stay on strike
KENT, Wash. -- Teachers in Washington state's fourth-largest district voted Monday night to continue their strike, despite a court injunction ordering them back to work Tuesday to prepare for students.
Kent Education Association spokesman Dale Folkerts said 74 percent of the 1,300 gathered union members voted not to return to work until they have a ratified contract.
The teachers "know there could be consequences" to going against the judge's order, he said. But after a long and heartfelt discussion, "they decided it was a cause that was important enough to stand up for."
Choosing to break the law, the teachers themselves weren't quite sure what would come next.
"I don't know. Maybe come down and visit us in jail," said teacher Ron Colston.
"I suppose there's a whole slew of issues that could arise of these consequences," said union president Lisa Brackin-Johnson. "Our members have said they are willing to go (to jail).They made their vote today. This is what they're willing to do."
The teachers are unwilling to settle on their top issues -- class sizes and more time with students.
Folkerts said class-size limits in Kent are substantially larger than surrounding districts and that overcrowded classrooms create bad learning environments and in some cases, safety risks.
"Today we made a statement that says, 'No more; we've had enough.' And I'm very proud of our association for that," said teacher Demetrius Pye.
"You know, I've always told my children to obey the law. But sometimes laws need to be changed," said teacher Donna Pearson.
Before Monday night's vote, hundreds of families and students gathered to cheer on the teachers in their fight.
"We want quality education. That's what this is about," said parent Tom Curtis. "And we're here to support teachers, and they have to be really courageous at this time."
"Watched the teachers working with the students. I've seen how they're suffering with over-sized classrooms, and not having enough funding for supplies in the classrooms to the point where the teachers are asking us for tissue boxes for classrooms," said parent Vipul Rathod.
The Kent School District has more than 26,000 students and 1,700 teachers at 40 schools. Its teachers began their strike Aug. 27, less than a week before classes were scheduled to begin.
On Thursday, King County Superior Court Judge Andrea Darvas granted the district's request for an injunction to force the teachers back to school, saying their strike was illegal. She encouraged both sides to continue bargaining.
District spokeswoman Becky Hanks said late Monday that the district's bargaining team was prepared to negotiate throughout the night for the first time since the teachers' strike began.
She said the district is working to address teachers' concerns while being fiscally responsible, and has put forth a proposal that raises pay, decreases meeting time, and increases the staff-to-student ratio by bringing in extra assistants and placing limits on class size.
"The bottom line is, we have absolutely addressed each of their requests, and we hope that our teachers have a chance to review the district's proposal," Hanks said. "We want our students back in school where they belong, and we believe we've presented a fair proposal that responds to their requests."
Union leaders and the school district met with a mediator overnight but said Tuesday morning that "no progress" had been made.
Talks stopped at 6 a.m. and no further meetings have been scheduled for the day.
Kent Education Association spokesman Dale Folkerts said 74 percent of the 1,300 gathered union members voted not to return to work until they have a ratified contract.
The teachers "know there could be consequences" to going against the judge's order, he said. But after a long and heartfelt discussion, "they decided it was a cause that was important enough to stand up for."
Choosing to break the law, the teachers themselves weren't quite sure what would come next.
"I don't know. Maybe come down and visit us in jail," said teacher Ron Colston.
"I suppose there's a whole slew of issues that could arise of these consequences," said union president Lisa Brackin-Johnson. "Our members have said they are willing to go (to jail).They made their vote today. This is what they're willing to do."
The teachers are unwilling to settle on their top issues -- class sizes and more time with students.
Folkerts said class-size limits in Kent are substantially larger than surrounding districts and that overcrowded classrooms create bad learning environments and in some cases, safety risks.
"Today we made a statement that says, 'No more; we've had enough.' And I'm very proud of our association for that," said teacher Demetrius Pye.
"You know, I've always told my children to obey the law. But sometimes laws need to be changed," said teacher Donna Pearson.
Before Monday night's vote, hundreds of families and students gathered to cheer on the teachers in their fight.
"We want quality education. That's what this is about," said parent Tom Curtis. "And we're here to support teachers, and they have to be really courageous at this time."
"Watched the teachers working with the students. I've seen how they're suffering with over-sized classrooms, and not having enough funding for supplies in the classrooms to the point where the teachers are asking us for tissue boxes for classrooms," said parent Vipul Rathod.
The Kent School District has more than 26,000 students and 1,700 teachers at 40 schools. Its teachers began their strike Aug. 27, less than a week before classes were scheduled to begin.
On Thursday, King County Superior Court Judge Andrea Darvas granted the district's request for an injunction to force the teachers back to school, saying their strike was illegal. She encouraged both sides to continue bargaining.
District spokeswoman Becky Hanks said late Monday that the district's bargaining team was prepared to negotiate throughout the night for the first time since the teachers' strike began.
She said the district is working to address teachers' concerns while being fiscally responsible, and has put forth a proposal that raises pay, decreases meeting time, and increases the staff-to-student ratio by bringing in extra assistants and placing limits on class size.
"The bottom line is, we have absolutely addressed each of their requests, and we hope that our teachers have a chance to review the district's proposal," Hanks said. "We want our students back in school where they belong, and we believe we've presented a fair proposal that responds to their requests."
Union leaders and the school district met with a mediator overnight but said Tuesday morning that "no progress" had been made.
Talks stopped at 6 a.m. and no further meetings have been scheduled for the day.
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