Teachers in 24 Districts Vote to Walk Out Over Class Sizes, Compensation
More than 500 teachers in Burlington-Edison and Bainbridge Island staged one-day strikes against the Legislature Thursday.
Marysville and Oak Harbor teachers are walking out Friday in protest of the Legislature’s failure to fully fund K-12 public schools, and teachers in Northshore, Shoreline, Granite Falls, North Kitsap and Peninsula are the latest to approve walk outs.
Here are the 24 local unions that have voted to strike/walk out against the Legislature, and in particular, the Republican Senate’s budget plan:
- Lakewood (April 22)
- Stanwood-Camano (April 22)
- Arlington (April 22)
- Bellingham (April 24)
- Blaine (April 24)
- Conway (April 24)
- Ferndale (April 24)
- Mount Vernon (April 24)
- Anacortes (April 24)
- Sedro Woolley (April 29)
- Bainbridge Island (April 30)
- Burlington-Edison (April 30)
- Marysville (May 1)
- Oak Harbor (May 1)
- Lake Washington (May 6)
- Northshore (May 6)
- South Whidbey (May 6)
- Central Kitsap (May 7)
- Granite Falls (May 8)
- Shoreline (May 11)
- Evergreen/Clark County (pending final membership vote) (May 13)
- North Kitsap (May 18)
- Sequim (TBD)
- Peninsula (TBD)
“Our members feel strongly that the time is now to get something done and, the lack of progress in Olympia is unacceptable,” said Randy Davis, Marysville Education Association president. “We expect the Legislature to fully fund smaller class sizes 
in every grade level as required by voter-approved I-1351, and we need the state to fund competitive, professional salaries and benefits so we can continue attracting and keeping qualified, caring teachers for our kids.”
In several school districts, education support professionals have voted to protest the Legislature by supporting their teachers’ strikes and have joined them in picketing. For example, Shoreline and Central Kitsap ESP members voted overwhelmingly to support their colleagues’ walkouts.