Kennewick teachers approve pay raises. Richland teachers reach possible deal

Kennewick teachers approved a new salary deal Monday night — a move that means they won’t strike over pay and that classes in the district will start on time next week.

The vote was 625 teachers in favor and 123 against.

Teachers will get a raise of 8 percent or more, some in to the double-digits, depending on where they land on the salary schedule. The new schedule covers the last year of teachers’ existing three-year contract.

“We’re excited for the school year. The teachers are excited they will be in front of their children and starting their classrooms on schedule,” said Janet Bell, president of the Kennewick Education Association, which is the district’s teachers union.

However, the approval came with some reservations because it appears the offer will be the lowest in the Tri-Cities, Bell said. Richland and Pasco teachers still haven’t finalized deals with their districts, but they’re expected to settle on higher raises.

“A lot of people wanted to express that when the full open bargain happens next year, they will be looking for Kennewick to be closing that gap of pay,” Bell said.

Superintendent Dave Bond, who’s spoken of difficulties posed by a recent overhaul of the state education funding system, said the district is “delighted” about the ratification.

“We look forward to an exciting start to the school year next week,” he said in a statement after the teachers’ vote. “We will continue to work with our legislators to correct some of the inequities that were a part of the legislation passed in 2017-18.”

Richland appears headed toward a similar resolution.

The district and its teachers union reached a tentative contract agreement over the weekend. Teachers will vote on the three-year pact at a meeting Wednesday.

Details haven’t been released, but the union described the contract as “excellent” in a Facebook post.

The district thanked the bargaining teams in its own Facebook post.

“We look forward to focusing all our energy on preparing to welcome students for the start of school,” the district said.

Meanwhile, the Pasco School District and teachers union continue to negotiate for a new contract, and the district has requested help from a state mediator.

“The district has offered to continue meeting with (the union’s) bargaining team as we wait for a mediator to be assigned to our negotiations. We continue to be optimistic that we will reach a resolution soon,” the district said Monday in a statement.

Teacher wage negotiations are happening in districts across the state, spurred by the funding system overhaul brought on by the state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision.

The Washington Education Association is urging local unions to push for double-digit raises, pointing to a $2 billion infusion for educator pay as part of the overhaul.

But some districts say the changes — including capping how much can be collected through local levies, limiting what the levy money can cover and nixing the old way of paying for teachers — put a dent in or wipe out any infusion.

This story was originally published August 20, 2018 at 4:50 PM.