Teachers plan to picket at 15th and NW Market St. today

Seattle teachers are expected to picket today, and one of the gathering locations is at the corner of 15th Ave NW and NW Market St, according to KOMO News. Teachers are hitting the picket lines because they want to draw attention to the fact that the Seattle School Board hasn’t offered a fair contract, and KOMO says one of their main issues is using test scores to evaluate teacher performance. The Seattle Education Association (SEA), which represents the teachers, will meet again on Sept. 3 to vote on the new proposal put forward by the school district.

Ballard is one of four locations around the city where teachers say they’ll be holding picket signs from 3 to 6 p.m. today; they’ll also be gathering at Rainer Ave and MLK, 35th and Fauntleroy, and outside Northgate Mall. The picketing comes just a week before school starts in Seattle on Sept. 4.

In a statement on the Seattle Public School’s website, Superintendent Jose Banda says, “We realize the impact a labor strike would have on our families. We are working with child care providers and the City of Seattle to develop options for your students in the event school is not in session on Sept. 4.” They’ll be updating the Seattle Public Schools website with current information as it comes.