CHENEY, Wash. — Parents in Cheney are preparing for the possibility that the first day of school could be delayed if educators and Cheney Public Schools fail to come to an agreement.
On August 20, Cheney Education Association authorized a potential strike of nearly 350 union teachers to begin on August 27, the first day of school, if they are unable to reach a new contract agreement with the district.
CEA and CPS have exchanged various proposals over the last few weeks.
One of the most recent proposals from CPS offered an 18% salary increase over three years.
“We believe this offer reflects our commitment to fairly compensating our teachers while ensuring the long-term sustainability of our district,” said CPS.
CEA’s recent proposal included a 19.5% salary increase over two years.
CEA said their proposal is aimed at making the district’s benefits, salaries and support on par with similar-sized districts in the area.
With negotiations still up in the air as of Wednesday night, it is still unclear if school will start as planned.
Rebecca Adams has two children in Cheney School District. She said she supports the CEA in their efforts.
“For all the demands they put on, I feel like they should just compensate them and bring them up to where they should be equal with other districts, and definitely for the hard work and good work that they do,” said Adams.
The district said its goal is to welcome students on the scheduled first day of school.
It did not say whether students would need to make days up at the end of the school year if the first day is pushed back due to a strike.
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