Redmond, Wash. – Lake Washington School District (LWSD) has been actively engaged in negotiations with the Lake Washington Educational Support Professionals (LWESP) since early spring 2019. 

At this time, the district believes the negotiations team will benefit from a third-party mediator in the interest of reaching a settlement and has taken the proactive step of requesting mediation through the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC). Mediation is a step in the bargaining process that supports the resolution of labor negotiations. 

The decision to request mediation support from PERC is based on the district’s belief that the negotiation process could benefit from a third party by:

1. Ensuring that the parties remain focused on the positive resolution of open items; 
2. Assisting both parties in making progress on reaching agreement on salary proposals; and 
3. Maintaining a clear focus on the remaining open items in order to reach agreement.

The district started discussing negotiation timelines with LWESP in early 2019. Between May – August 2019, the bargaining teams met 10 times. The teams mutually agreed to cancel two bargaining sessions in June. Throughout the course of this summer, the two parties have exchanged salary proposals as outlined below:

• On June 11, LWESP proposed a 32% salary increase for all members and additional increases for members with 16+ years with the largest salary increase reaching 59%.
• The district responded to LWESP on July 30 with a proposal that provided pay increases of 2% to 19% for employees on a restructured salary schedule. The district applied similar methodology for determining the proposal as is used for other labor groups.
• On August 26, LWESP submitted a salary proposal that again included increases ranging from 32% to 59%.

The district values LWESP members and their contributions to our community and looks forward to continuing our negotiations to reach a mutually acceptable contract agreement. 

Many district stakeholders have an interest in the positive outcomes of contract negotiations with LWESP. The ongoing negotiation of the LWESP contract will not affect the regular start of school on September 3, 2019.

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About Lake Washington School District:
Lake Washington School District is a high-performing public school district serving Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish, Washington. It is the third largest district in the state of Washington, with over 29,500 students in 55 schools.