The Kent School District officially declared an impasse Aug. 14 in negotiations with the Kent Education Association, setting the stage for a potential strike.
“While the district has negotiated in good faith, we believe we are at an impasse,” reads a letter to residents dated Aug. 14 and signed by Superintendent Edward Lee Vargas. “As a result the school year may be delayed.”
School is scheduled to begin Aug. 31. Students in Covington attend Kent schools.
The declaration by the district means a mediator from the Washington State Public Employment Relations Commission will be called in to help facilitate negotiations. The state agency provides mediators at no charge.
“We believe continuing the regular negotiations is not likely to be successful,” District Communications Director Becky Hanks said Friday.
Hanks said the district and union officials have had 11 bargaining sessions, including Aug. 12 when the union rejected a proposal for the union that included an increase in total teacher compensation.
According to officials at PERC, mediator Guy Coss was sent to work with the two sides beginning Wednesday.
According to Martha Nicoloff, a Field Services Manager with PERC, the mediator’s role is to assist both parties in coming to an agreement on a contract.
“The hoped-for result is they come to an agreement and can put a contract together,” Nicoloff said.
The mediator, however, does not have the authority to compel either side to reach an agreement or accept any item, but the hopes is that a fresh set of eyes may be able to clarify each side’s position for the other and offer suggestions to move along negotiations.
“We are always the impartial third party,” Nicoloff said. “When we are mediators, we are not directing anybody to do anything. What they have is the power of their experience as a mediator.”
Nicoloff said PERC employs 17 full-time mediator/adjudicators with jurisdiction over virtually all public employees in the state, including those in the school systems.
There is no usual timeframe for these discussions, but that a mediator will stay on hand until a settlement is reached, Nicoloff explained.
“By and large, the mediator will be working through until resolution,” Nicoloff said.
Union officials expressed disappointment Friday at the declaration of an impasse.
“We are very disappointed that the district thought they needed to do this right now,” said KEA President Lisa Brackin-Johnson.
Brackin-Johnson reiterated the union’s stance that their issues were about “time, workload and compensation” and that the district’s proposal only addressed compensation. She also added that the district’s offer was not enough.
“The salary proposal was a step in the right direction, but it still does not move us to the middle; it keeps us on the bottom,” Brackin-Johnson said.
The union and the district look at different sets of school districts when discussing salary comparisons. The union uses a larger group that includes several districts north of Seattle, as well as surrounding districts.
Brackin-Johnson also said the district’s offer does not address time and workload, something the district disputes.
Hanks said the district’s offer addresses the time component by providing additional hours of teacher-directed time, which does not require reporting, as well as replacing a day that was cut by the state.
The offer also did not include any increases in class size.
All sides have said they hope for a resolution that will allow schools to open on time.
“There’s certainly the hope we can get this cleared up because obviously no one wants a strike,” School Board President Jim Berrios said.
“We will continue to look at our proposals and meet with the bargaining team and hope that the district gives a call soon,” Brackin-Johnson said.
“We will work to resolve these issues,” Hanks said. “Our hope is we resolve these issues and our staff and students are in school Aug. 31.”
The next KEA member meeting is scheduled for Aug. 26 and unless a settlement can be reached, the union has stated it will take a strike vote at that time.
For more information on the negotiations and the differences between the two sides, visit www.kentschools.org (KEA site) or www.kent.k12.wa.us (official District site).
