THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — North Thurston Public Schools and the North Thurston Education Association reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years on Monday.
Ratification of the agreement is expected to be complete by the end of September. Classes are expected to start on schedule.
"I am proud of our union members who united to fight for better learning conditions for our students," Education Association President Ray Nelson said in a prepared statement. "This [tentative agreement] reflects our dedication to public education."
The tentative agreement comes after North Thurston teachers picketed over workloads and increased pay last week.
The agreement, according to a statement from the Education Association, improves student learning, addresses workload issues for special-education teachers, elementary and secondary educators and staff associates, and "ensures that North Thurston compensation is competitive with neighboring districts."
Compensation was part of the bargaining process because "the cost of living has gone up and people need some relief from that," Nelson previously stated.
The North Thurston Education Association represents 970 educators in the school district and was in negotiations throughout the year to come up with a new collective bargaining agreement before the current contracts ended at the end of August.
