This evening, Wednesday, Sept. 15 the Seattle School Board voted to approve a landmark contract for teachers and other certificated staff at Seattle Public Schools. The three-year contract covers the school years 2010-2011 through 2012-2013.

At a news conference this afternoon, government and community leaders joined the Superintendent and Board Director Sundquist to acknowledge the significant of this landmark agreement.

In voting to approve the contract, Director Steve Sundquist, who has acted as board spokesperson for this negotiation, stressed the importance of this new contract to students and to teachers, “We all want to see improvement at our schools, higher levels of achievement for all of our students, and the elimination of the achievement gap,” Sundquist said. “This new agreement is a big step toward achieving that. By making student growth central to teacher evaluations, we promote a culture of teaching excellence at Seattle Public Schools based on clear, measurable results. Our teachers deserve a system in which they will be appropriately supported, recognized and rewarded for their dedication to our students.”

Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson thanked the many individuals and organizations that have demonstrated their commitment to students and to teachers. “I am profoundly grateful to our teachers, to SEA leadership, to the district staff and SEA bargaining teams for the incredibly hard work that has resulted in this historic agreement,” said Dr. Goodloe-Johnson. “This agreement will help us retain, develop and recruit the very best teachers, and we know that excellent instruction trumps all other factors related to student achievement. True collaboration is how lasting change will be implemented. I am committed to genuine engagement with our teachers and families as we work together to listen closely to what works as we proceed hand in hand to implement and improve as we go. I also want to thank the many community organizations that remain so committed to creating an excellent public education system for the children of Seattle. Our children need everyone’s support as we seek new resources to fund these needed teacher supports in our new agreement.”

Prior to the School Board vote, community and government leaders joined Superintendent Goodloe-Johnson and Director Sundquist for a news conference that highlighted the importance of this landmark contract.

Government and community leaders present at the news conference included Tim Burgess, Seattle City Councilmember; Estela Ortega, Executive Director, El Centro de la Raza; George Griffin III, 2010 Chair, Alliance for Education; and Chris Korsmo, Executive Director, League of Education Voters. (Photograph attached)

All of these leaders spoke to the historic nature of this agreement and celebrated the supports that will be put in place for teachers, which are expected to result in increases in student achievement.

“This is a good day for Seattle, for our students, and for our schools,” said Burgess. “At the end of the day, good people came together in a collaboration that resulted in a contract that honors our teachers and respects their good work. The new contract is all about what’s best for our children. My colleagues on the City Council and I encourage the School Board to adopt this contract because we want every child in every school in every neighborhood to receive the highest quality education possible. This contract is a bold first step in that direction.”

“Good education is a social justice issue and Seattle put itself on the map when teachers overwhelmingly approved a contract to connect student learning to their evaluations,” said Ortega. “The on-time graduation rate for Latinos is 54.6 percent; we cannot afford to have any of our children failing if we are to remain competitive in the global economy. Making sure all teachers are supported to achieve rigorous student learning goals is the only way we will get rid of the achievement gap. All of our students can succeed. They just need highly effective teachers, excellent curriculum and materials, with academic and social support. With these reforms, all of our students have a better chance at life.”

Citing the years’ long civic conversation about the central importance of teacher quality, Alliance for Education Board Chair Griffin said: “What has been accomplished by this historic agreement is a tribute to many. I am also here to say that we have confidence in our Superintendent and thank her for her commitment to now implement these important changes. We all know we have more work to do together to ensure all students succeed.”

Added the League of Education Voters’ Korsmo: “This contract puts us where we belong – in the forefront of districts around the country - with the focus on student outcomes. The collaborative nature in which goals will be set, and providing stipends to effective teachers at the schools that are struggling means that the students who most need excellent instruction will have a great opportunity to graduate on time and be successful. SEA and SPS are to be commended for crafting this contract – it demonstrates the genuine and authentic concern to put students first and to respect our teachers for the professionals they are.”

Council PTSA President Ramona Hattendorf and Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce President Phil Bussey provided statements about the new contract, excerpted here and posted in full on the Seattle Public Schools Labor Relations website.

From Ramona Hattendorf, President, Seattle Council PTSA

“As president of the Seattle Council PTSA and parent of two students in Seattle Public Schools, I'd like to simply say thank you to both the district and Seattle Education Association for your work on the new teachers contract. It focuses on meeting kids' learning needs -- and on the teamwork and ongoing development that focus requires. We are gratified that three of our top concerns were addressed in the contract. Using student data to inform goal setting, as well as professional development and intervention, will help ensure our students and teachers get the ongoing support they need.“

From Phil Bussey, CEO of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce:
“We are very pleased with the efforts of both the Seattle School District and the Seattle Education Association for working to arrive at this agreement. It is clear that both sides were committed to a big change from the status quo on behalf of students in every classroom. We applaud our teachers for overwhelmingly approving a contract that links student achievement to each teacher’s evaluation. The business community supports the agreement and sees it as a critical step forward in improving education and ultimately preparing students to prosper in the workplace and in the community.”

Highlights of the three-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) include:

• Seattle Public Schools and Seattle Education Association are committed to collaborating closely together to ensure successful implementation of the contract. Several teams have been established to work through next steps, and principals and teachers will receive training and support to ensure effective use of the Professional Growth & Evaluation system (PG&E).

• Additional resources will be provided for teacher development, recognition and support.
This includes an additional hour each week of paid collaboration time for all elementary and K-8 educators; an increase in the number of STAR mentors to support our new teachers; up to $500 for specific training for teachers who are struggling, and stipends for career ladders for our most effective teachers.
• An evaluation system that is linked to student growth measures. The Professional Growth & Evaluation system (PG&E) will be phased in over three years. Certificated employees will be evaluated on a four-level scale (unsatisfactory, basic, proficient and innovative). All certificated employees will work with their colleagues and principal to set realistic, rigorous and measurable goals for student achievement. All teachers will be expected to make progress toward their goals.
• Scores from multiple tests will be compiled and averaged for each teacher with decisive impact: Low performers will receive immediate intervention and support, with decisions made by December 15 of each year, while strong performers will have opportunities for advancement.

• Our strongest teachers will have the opportunity to contribute to success across the system - and receive additional compensation in the form of stipends of $2,500 to $5,200 per year - by sharing their expertise with colleagues. Up to 360 school-based career ladder positions (demonstration, mentor and master teachers) will be spread across every school for teacher leaders who model best practice and support their colleagues’ professional growth.

• Struggling teachers will get additional support under the new contract that gives every teacher the tools to succeed. For those who can’t succeed, there’s a clear path to evaluate them out of the district.

• Struggling schools will benefit from stipends that encourage stability of teachers who work in our most challenging schools.

• New teachers will get a vastly improved support program—three years of mentoring instead of one and a near doubling of the mentors who work with our newest teachers.

• All elementary and K-8 teachers will receive one additional hour of time per week for collaborative planning with colleagues. This additional hour will not result in any changes to the length of the students’ school day.

• Certificated staff compensation will be adjusted – a 1 percent raise will be given to all educators in 2011-12 and they will receive an additional 1 percent raise in 2012-2013. In 2010-2011, substitute educators receive a 1 percent salary increase; and an annual stipend will be awarded to nurse practitioners with national certification in pediatrics or another child-related field.

The estimated total cost of the contract over three years is $19 million. Included in that estimate are:
• $5.4 million – 1 percent increase in pay in 2011-2012 and another 1 percent in 2012-2013
• $5.1 million – Career ladder stipends, additional star mentors, stipends for level 1 schools
• $4.6 million – Additional one hour of collaboration time for teachers at all elementary and K-8 schools
• $2.4 million – Implementation costs
• $1.0 million – First year investments

Seattle Public Schools is seeking funding for this historic contract via a Supplemental Levy on November 2, federal Teacher Incentive Fund grants, or other sources.

The complete Collective Bargaining Agreement, summaries, FAQs and other information is available at www.seattleschools.org, by clicking on “Labor Relations.”