That might be a winning score under the Friday night lights, but it continues to be a losing formula in Kent's classrooms. After stonewalling the entire summer and throughout most of the 18-day teachers strike, Kent School District administrators now have what they fought so hard to maintain: classes that remain larger than neighboring districts.
The Kent School Board might still believe that's a great idea when looking down from the isolation of their administrative board room. But it's a different view for students and teachers. Here's the on-the-ground perspective. Step into a Kent kindergarten class this fall and you'll already find 30 students enrolled, even though the district told the community it would cap kindergarten classes at 29. For some of the little ones, English is not their first language. One of every six in the room is a special needs student, draining additional time the teacher can spend with her other students. The district battled fiercely to keep Kent's classes as large as possible, even though common sense tells anyone it's a ridiculous situation.
Travel 
only a few miles down the road to Tahoma, where a typical kindergarten class is 22. On this day, with typical absences, only 18 students are in the room. Discipline issues are notably fewer because misbehaving students can't feed off each others' antics. Instead, the teacher has time to redirect an off-task student immediately, which means she can spend more time teaching.
Tahoma is not alone in understanding that teachers can teach better when classrooms aren't packed to the rafters. Auburn and Shoreline limit their primary grades to 23. Edmonds and Northshore limit primary grades to 24.
These are districts that face similar financial constraints. Like Kent, they also suffered from state budget cuts this year. They also put more money into teachers' salaries. Instead of making excuses, they found solutions.
It's like teachers told the community during the strike: District spending choices are about priorities. Kent has put its money into keeping more administrators on the payroll with salaries that are higher than neighboring districts. The superintendent's $240,000 salary is more than the vice president of the United States. Other school boards know it’s more important to put their money into the classroom. They create a culture of teamwork and mutual problem-solving instead of management by intimidation. They look for creative solutions, instead of ways to ignore or punish anyone who might dare voice a different view.
Parents like Charles Allen and the Kent Parents Coalition understand why these priorities continue to remain important now that classes have resumed. And that's why parents are continuing to press forward with the priorities that matter to children. You, too, can get involved to improve Kent's schools. E-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it now!
Contract ratified! First day of school: Sept. 15
KEA members overwhelmingly ratified their new two-year contract Monday morning with a 94 percent yes vote. A tentative contract agreement was reached Sunday night, ending the 18-day strike that began Aug. 27. The new contract starts Kent on a path toward lower class sizes, less time wasted in administrative meetings and small increases in the dismal compensation levels for Kent teachers. Parents vowed to teachers after Monday's vote that their own fight will continue with a district that has tried to ignore its parents and teachers for too long. Students will return to school beginning Tuesday.
Not just a local issue any more ...
The Kent School Board didn't want to talk to the community about overcrowded classes, or about resolving the strike. But that didn't mean other people weren't talking about Kent. We're became national news as the only strike in the United States. With many of the same issues facing schools nationwide, the Kent School Board's unwillingness to deal in good faith with issues here is a sad commentary on the priorities of our current school board. In Friday's edition of the New York Times, the headline read: "Teacher Strike in Washington Focused on Class Size"... Read the article online
Kent teachers stunned at district's rejection of union offer
The district said it couldn't afford smaller classes. KEA offered a package proposal Thursday that showed them how, and could have ended the strike. The district rejected the offer and is now arguing that it wants to increase class size over what it can afford. Why would the district want the strike to continue? Read more in Friday's Seattle Times
Parents Are Making a Difference in Education in Kent
Wednesday night, the Kent Parents Coalition met in East Hill Park and the discussion quickly turned to overcrowded classes, the School Board's attempts to shut out parent voices, and the steps needed to launch a School Board recall effort. Parents were clear that they support our teachers, who desire a better education for not only Kent's current students but also for our future students. The parents discussed the current contract proposals, future plans and what other actions to take.The Kent Parents Coalition also established a presence on Facebook so that they can post information as it becomes available. From the Facebook website you can search for Kent Parents Coalition or search using their email address,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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Please spread their information to other parents who support our teachers and who believe that our children as students deserve the very best that can be offered and not the scraps from administration. Again, we want to bring all parents of students within the Kent School District together as one group whose voice and actions will continue to be heard and seen by the KSD administration.
Name: Kent Parents Coalition
Description: We are a coalition of parents in Kent, Washington who believe in obtaining the very best education available to our children and future KSD students.
Contact Info
Email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Other ways you can make a difference are by writing letters to the editor at the Seattle Times or the Kent Reporter. E-mailing the Kent School District Superintendent or the School Board Members is also a way to have your voice heard.
Bargaining:
Parents want teachers back in school, but with a fair contract, not under a court order. Hear their message as hundreds of parents and community supporters joined Kent teachers outside the district headquarters. Watch video
A failed attempt to ban the First Amendment in Kent
When district lawyer Chuck Lind took Kent's teachers to court, he also tried to coax a judge into blocking parents' First Amendment rights to free speech, if they sided with teachers.
While it’s an outrageous request, it hardly comes as a surprise. The district hasn’t listened to teachers in the classroom, or at the bargaining table. Now Lind is trying to manipulate the legal system to allow the district to ignore the community's opposition, too. Here’s the exchange between Lind and Superior Court Judge Andrea Darvas when Lind suggested Thursday that the court’s injunction against teachers should include sign waving and picketing by others outside the union who support our cause. The judge was skeptical.
“There was no explicit request in the (district’s) briefing that the court enjoin people from exercising their First Amendment rights,” the judge noted.
“The district views that as part and parcel of the work stoppage, and that’s our request to the court,” Lind said.
The judge flatly rejected the Lind’s request. The community remains free to support our teachers.
Kent teachers talk about class size and why it matters in this strike
Hear Kent's teachers talk about the issues behind the strike in three video segments posted on You Tube.
◊ Video 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woOUOLAEhDA
◊ Video 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8IyhJEm50I
◊ Video 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwZeNdig-Xk
A question of 'transparent' information
If the district’s misleading class sizes published on its Web site isn’t enough to make you wonder how accurate their information is, here’s another story they were trying to spread.
“On Sept. 3, the KSD team reported for mediation at 10 a.m. Upon arriving, the team was informed by the mediator that the KEA indicated that their team would be unavailable for mediation today,” the district said on its Web site.
Where might KEA have been at the time? District PR director Becky Hanks certainly knew the truth, because she was there with us, on the fourth floor of the Regional Justice Center, in downtown Kent.
What Hanks somehow forgot to mention is that the school district had hauled KEA into court Thursday morning to try to block our strike, instead of showing any intent to negotiate in good faith at the bargaining table. It's beginning to seem like we can't trust anything our district's PR machine tells our community.
Support for Kent teachers continues
Watch NEA President Dennis Van Roekel's message to Kent educators
Parents get a firsthand taste of district's disrespectful attitude
More than 200 parents show up Wednesday at
the district administration center looking for answers and find none.
What they found instead was a district that locked the building and
went home so parents could speak to them.
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◊ Community leaders who are upset about the Kent School District’s misplaced priorities turned out Aug. 23 to support Kent teachers. Watch video
◊ Hear why class size matters to Kent's students, and ways the district could begin to reduce class size without breaking the bank. Watch Video
◊ Kent teachers aren't alone in fighting to refocus district priorities. See why school employees are taking a stand. Watch video
◊ Kent teachers talk about the issues that are behind this fall's possible school strike. Watch video |
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◊ Judge could penalize Kent tachers this week. KING TV ◊ Kent teachers vote to stay on strike depite judge's order. KOMO TV ◊ Classes cancelled Monday at Kent schools. KOMO TV ◊ Kent teachers: 'Class size! Class size! Class size!' KOMO TV Kent teachers hit picket lines for smaller classes. KOMO TV ◊ Striking Kent teachers say it's not about pay. KING TV ◊ Kent teachers vote overwhelmingly to strike KOMO TV ◊ Kent teachers vote to strike as talks go on. Seattle Times ◊ Talks between Kent teachers, school district down to the wire KIRO TV
◊ With clock ticking, teachers prepare for possible strike. KOMO TV ◊ Strike vote looming? Budget talks heat up between Kent School District, teachers union. Kent Reporter ◊ KEA: Better education comes through better priorities in Kent. Kent Reporter ◊ Kent teachers stage rally over labor contract. Kent Reporter |
◊ Understand how the number of meetings administrators like to hold has a negative impact on Kent's students. 
