SESPA and School District contract talks at an impasse; State mediator called in

SESPA (the service employees union) and the Shoreline School District have been in contract talks since spring and have now reached an impasse. The District has called in a State mediator.

The Shoreline Education Support Professionals Association (SESPA) includes library aides, school crossing guards, behavior techs, and security staff, among others.

The School District is focused on the services that it is protecting for the schools. SESPA is focused on what will be lost.

The statement from the school district:

Our interest is being able to maintain our model of a registered nurse at each school during all student hours, a full-time certificated librarian in every school, a classified library technician at each school site, a family resource advocate in all elementary schools, two office support staff in all elementary schools, security monitors in every secondary school and a 350-to-1 ratio for all secondary counselors. No other school district in our region provides all of these services for students, families and staff.

SESPA rejected the offered contract, which cuts 5 - 24 paid work days for nurses, behavior technicians, security, and library technicians. These are non-student days which make it possible for the staff to do paperwork, reports, investigations, and the many other tasks which cannot be done when students are present.

They are skeptical of relying on the the State Cost of Living Adjustment for raises for the next five years. A new requirement to require principal or supervisor approval to determine what professional development classes or training could be taken for a stipend just seems like a "bureaucratic hoop" for employees to pursue professional development.

They point to a budget surplus in the school district which is beyond the amount set for normal reserves and say that administrative staff recently received raises and bonuses.

SESPA is very aware of the many cuts they have already made over the past decade when the district suffered financial setbacks and don't see why they have to continue to make cuts when times are good.

SESPA employees have made sacrifices over the last decade to help Shoreline Schools regain fiscal health - we lost over 100 positions plus hundreds of hours, endured wage freezes, suspended professional development funds, reduced employee benefits and insurance coverage.

For more information, check the School District Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page and the SESPA webpage blog 

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