The educators of the Port Angeles Education Association are dedicated, passionate professionals who care deeply about the lives of every student in the Port Angeles School District. 

Over the past few months, PAEA members have been working tirelessly to negotiate a contract that supports the needs of students and educators. The PAEA bargaining team has come to every bargaining session prepared, with researched and thorough proposals that address the needs of a new contract. The district has responded with “respectfully decline” on virtually all of our substantive proposals, even those that have no financial cost to the district.

Our bargaining priorities are reasonable, necessary, and affordable!

 1. Our members deserve competitive compensation. A decade ago, Port Angeles was the highest paid district on the North Olympic Peninsula. Based on our current collective bargaining agreement, we are now the lowest paid teachers/certificated staff members on the Olympic Peninsula. Port Angeles remains the only district on the Peninsula and one of only a few in the state to withhold the 5.5% cost of living adjustment passed by the legislature. Our members deserve the same respect given to members of neighboring districts in order to attract and retain quality educators.

2. Our counseling and other special services need to be appropriately staffed and supported. Currently, Port Angeles has no contractual language on special education class size, and no caps on caseload for educators such as School Psychologists. Our members need reasonable class size and caseload language similar to what is provided in contracts for neighboring districts in order to provide quality services and comply with state and federal laws. 

3. Educators require adequate conference and planning time. In order to support students, contact families, update grades, prepare lessons, and complete other professional responsibilities, educators need adequate protected time during the contracted work day. Neighboring districts provide significantly more planning time to their educators. Our members deserve the same respect given to their time.

4. Our members deserve to be compensated for required work done outside the contracted day. While we prefer that all of our work be done during the 7.5 hour work day we recognize that some meetings and professional development need to be done outside that time to accommodate families and PD providers. When that work is necessary, our members deserve to be fully compensated for their time. That compensation should reflect the expertise and professional experience our members bring to the table. 

Educators expressed the need to meet with the district as early as last February. Unfortunately the district has provided us with extremely limited availability to prioritize this work. The PAEA team made our schedules available for most of July and the entirety of August, because negotiating a fair agreement prior to the start of school is what is best for families and educators. The district has only offered four (4) dates that their team is willing to meet in August. Two of those dates are shortly before school starts.  

Join us in calling for the Port Angeles School District Board of Trustees in prioritizing coming to the table in good faith to bargain with the PAEA bargaining team. We have every hope to ratify a contract prior to the start of the school year, but need the district to bargain with us as partners at the table. We can do better to provide a Fair Contract Now.