North Thurston teachers reach tentative deal with school district

THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — On Monday evening, the North Thurston Education Association announced that it has reached a tentative agreement with North Thurston Public Schools.

It comes after 200 teachers picketed outside the administration building on Friday, as no deal on a new contract had been reached.

The district and the teachers’ union had been negotiating all summer on a new collective bargaining agreement in hopes of beginning the first day of classes on time.

The union wanted a pay increase to keep up with rising costs, among other things.

“I am proud of our union members who united to fight for better learning conditions for our students,” said North Thurston Education Association President Ray Nelson.

• Nelson said he was pleased with this agreement, which:
• Improves student learning conditions.
• Ensures that North Thurston compensation is competitive with neighboring districts.
• Addresses workload issues for special-education teachers, elementary and secondary educators and education staff associates.

Now that there is a tentative deal in place, it must be ratified. That process is expected to be completed by the end of September and classes will begin as scheduled on Sept. 7.

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