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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spokane, East Valley teachers walk out to protest funding

Spokane and East Valley teachers left their classrooms for the day Wednesday, flooding the sidewalks along busy intersections with signs aimed at the state Legislature.

They cheered when they heard friendly honks in return from passing motorists. There were only occasional shouts of opposition.

Later, in a sea of red T-shirts, they packed steps along the Spokane River at a rally at Riverfront Park.

The Legislature, meanwhile, remained deadlocked on the issue at hand: school funding.

Spokane teachers began gathering around 8 a.m. at the intersection of Ash Street and Northwest Boulevard and at Manito Shopping Center at 29th Avenue and Scott Street. They said large classes and too much standardized testing are cutting into the time and resources available to students, and school employees aren’t being paid enough for their work.

“I put in a lot of hours that I don’t get paid for,” said Brian Monger, a math teacher at The Community School. “And unfortunately that’s the only way to be an effective teacher right now. That’s the only way to make a difference in the kids’ lives.”

Many parents had to find alternative care for their kids Wednesday as a result of the strike.

“I know this is inconvenient for parents, but we teachers have been ignored for far too long,” said Christian Perreiah, an eighth-grade history teacher at Chase Middle School, who was picketing in a large group at Ash and Northwest. “I’ve taught for 20 years, and I’ve seen my pay chipped away at over the years. And I’m at the top of the pay scale. I can’t make more money.”

State leaders are debating how to increase funding for schools – as mandated by the state Supreme Court in its 2013 McCleary decision. Legislators also are considering ignoring an initiative approved by voters last November that calls for lowering class sizes.

“Legislators need to do their jobs,” said Angela Bina, a music teacher at Audubon Elementary School. “Our kids are being inundated with testing rather than teaching. They’re sitting in front of a computer instead of exploring.”

But some legislators said it was the teachers who were abandoning their responsibilities.

State Sen. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, said he was pleased some teachers unions in Spokane County opted not to strike. Among them: Cheney, Central Valley, Mead and West Valley.

“I’m disappointed the kids in Spokane aren’t being educated today,” he said.

Last week, the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee held a hearing on a bill that would dock the pay for the days teachers are out on strike. Baumgartner, chairman of that committee, said he hasn’t checked with members of the Majority Coalition Caucus to see if there’s enough support to try to pass it.

“I’m taking a wait-and-see approach to see if the strikes continue,” Baumgartner said. “If kids can’t graduate because they are being turned into political footballs, we’ll have to take a look at (the bill) again.”

Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, repeated his long-standing comment that whatever budget is ultimately adopted by the Legislature will have a record increase in money for public schools.

“This is going to be the best education budget in years,” Schoesler said. “We’re only arguing over the size of the increase.”

A budget deadlock between Senate Republicans and House Democrats is almost certain to send the Legislature into its second special session, in large part because of disagreement on education funding.

Senate Republicans and House Democrats have exchanged budget proposals in recent weeks but aren’t close to a deal. Senate Republican leaders signaled they might bring their latest budget proposal to a hearing in the Ways and Means Committee, and a possible vote in the chamber, but dropped those plans around midday Wednesday after meeting with members.

More than 65 percent of the nearly 2,500 Spokane Education Association members voted in favor of the one-day strike. It’s the first time the union has approved a strike since 1979. It is among more than 60 school district workforces across Washington that have staged one-day strikes. Several churches and community centers provided day care for children who couldn’t go to school because of the strike.

James Young dropped off his first-grade son, Jai’Dyn, 7, at the East Central Community Center, which was staffed to take 75 children from kindergarten through sixth grade.

“This place is a godsend,” Young said. “His mother and I both work day shifts.”

He said he was relieved that he didn’t have to miss work to watch his son.

“It throws a wrench in your plans, especially when you’re trying to save your vacation days for family vacation during the summer,” said Young, who works at Sun Ray Court drug and alcohol treatment center. But he added, “I completely understand why the teachers are doing it, I do. I’ve always thought that teachers deserve to get some of the best benefits out there.”

Georgianna Tarrant, a community health worker, said she had planned to take the day off from her new job at Better Health Together so she could look after her sons, second- and fourth-graders at Lincoln Heights Elementary School. Then she heard about the daylong activities at East Central Community Center.

“I don’t think it’s fair because I don’t think we have the money to fund what they’re asking for. So walking out, in my opinion, is not going to do anything except frustrate a lot of families,” Tarrant said when she dropped off her children.

All classes and other school-related activities were canceled Wednesday for the strike. To make up for the lost day, Spokane Public Schools students will have to attend school June 18, one day longer than originally scheduled. Additionally, the district canceled its late-start schedules on Thursdays starting today until the end of the year. In East Valley, the school year was extended a day to June 15.

On the picket line on Northwest Boulevard, Vicki Sax lamented that she can’t effectively teach all 24 students in her first-grade class at Ridgeview Elementary School.

“I can’t give them all the attention they need,” she said. “If I had fewer kids I could get to all of them. Not every teacher can teach after school on their own time.”

With a heavy focus on standardized testing, public schools have spent weeks preparing students for their end-of-year exams.

“I had to actually spend some of my time prepping them for the test, which is above their reading level and probably too difficult for them anyway,” said Dan Ankcorn, who works with students who struggle with reading at Ridgeview and Longfellow elementary schools. “It’s not an accurate measure of how well our kids are doing in school.”

Rachael Manz, a special educator at Ridgeview Elementary School, said she’s worked with children who have been beaten, starved and abused psychologically. Because classrooms are so crowded, Manz said, those children have a hard time learning alongside other students.

“When we’re dealing with children who are hungry, we pour our pay into making sure they have food, even over the weekend,” she said. “When they come from a place where they fear all adults, we work really hard to build relationships with them.”

Staff writers Scott Maben and Jim Camden contributed to this report.