8-28-2018
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — Mount Vernon teachers voted Monday to strike if they and the district can’t reach an agreement on competitive wages by September 4.
The Mount Vernon Education Association says educators have been bargaining with the district for months to get pay raises that will attract and keep qualified teachers.
The Skagit Valley Herald reports that as a result of the “McCleary fix” the state ordered all school districts to renegotiate teacher salaries, requiring a minimum of $40,000.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal has said that schools should give pay raises that are sustainable and has made it clear that pay increases of double-digit percentages would not be possible for every district.
Because of the McCleary decision, there is at least $2 billion of new funding for educator salaries alone.