NewsHK
Against the backdrop of falling enrollment and a widening budget shortfall, Seattle Public Schools is heading into a new school year carrying a reported deficit of around $100 million and a credible strike threat from its educators union.
Superintendent Ben Shuldiner said at a Monday news conference that the district is "broke" and must be disciplined about how it spends money; 91 percent of Seattle Education Association members have voted to authorize a walkout if no new contract is secured.
Shuldiner's posture has been direct.
In a Sunday letter addressed to the Seattle Education Association, he stated that the union "does not have to strike," that the current signed contract remains in force, and that retroactive pay would be available after a new agreement is reached provided the union does not walk out first.
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