No teacher strikes expected in Snohomish County

There doesn’t appear to be any sign of a teacher strike in Snohomish County like the one looming as a possibility in the Tacoma School District.

Several school districts in the county have reached agreements or are working on renegotiated or new contracts that address a 1.9 percent state cut

in teacher salaries made by the Legislature earlier this year, said Mike Wartelle, a union representative.

In Everett, teachers are scheduled to vote on the contract at a meeting today. Specific details about the contract were not available before the meeting, said Lynn Evans, the district’s human resources director.

“We have what’s called a tentative agreement,” Evans said. “The Everett Education Association will vote on the proposal and then we will be able to release more information.”

The agreement does not change the first day of school set for Sept. 7 for the district’s 18,700 students. The agreement is scheduled to go before the Everett School Board at its Sept. 13 meeting if it is approved by union members.

The Granite Falls, Lake Stevens and Monroe school districts have also agreed to tentative contracts reflecting the salary cut, Wartelle said. Mukilteo School District was still working on a contract to address the state cut at a meeting Tuesday afternoon. Both Marysville and Snohomish School District recently reached new contracts and the Sultan School District is working on one, Wartelle added.

Teachers in the Edmonds School District agreed in June to negotiate back one day of pay and 2 1/2 furlough days, said Andi Nofziger-Meadows, president of the Edmonds Education Association. The agreement between the association and the Edmonds School District took away two professional development days where classes were not scheduled and turned the second-to-last day of school into a half-day.

Amy Daybert: 425-339-3491; adaybert@heraldnet.com.