February 16, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Redmond, Wash. – At its last meeting, the Lake Washington School District Board of Directors approved a one-year extension to the three-year Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Lake Washington Education Association (LWEA). This extension will extend the current contract to cover the 2011-12 school year. In January, members of the LWEA voted to approve the contract extension by over 96%.
Both parties had expressed interest in extending the current Collective Bargaining Agreement for one additional year. The current state budget issues have made budget planning difficult for school districts around the state.
“The district is currently facing many unknowns about the level of state funding for next year. This situation does not provide a productive environment for negotiating a new multi-year agreement.” noted Dr. Chip Kimball, superintendent. “Both the district and the teachers association understand that much of our ability to compensate teachers is dependent on the state budget. Budget predictions for one year let alone three years are very difficult at this time.”
"During this extraordinarily difficult economic time, teachers felt it was important to maintain as much stability as possible for students and parents by delaying contract negotiations for a year,” noted LWEA President Kevin Teeley. “We're hoping that a year from now the economy will be less volatile than it is now and the district and teachers will be able to productively negotiate a contract."
As part of the agreement, both sides agreed to a revised 2011-12 school district calendar, the year that will be covered by this contract. The dates for Spring Break had previously been changed in the draft calendar to more closely align with neighboring school districts. Dates for elementary school conferences were shifted earlier in October, to facilitate the student goal-setting portion of these student-involved parent/teacher conferences. Dates for mid-year conferences were also adjusted.
A calendar for the 2012-13 school year was also developed so that families and staff can make plans. All calendars are subject to change.
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About Lake Washington: Lake Washington School District is a high-performing public school district serving Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish, Washington. It is the sixth largest district in the state of Washington, with over 24,000 students in 50 schools.