The start of the 2024-25 Yelm Community Schools (YCS) year will be postponed until further notice as a collective bargaining agreement between the district and the Yelm Education Association (YEA) is still pending, YCS announced Monday, Sept. 2.
The school year was scheduled to begin Tuesday, Sept. 3 for first through 12th grades and Friday, Sept. 6 for kindergarten and preschool. Negotiations continued until 1:10 a.m. Monday, marking the second consecutive day that conversations extended into the early morning hours.
Members of YEA voted Tuesday, Aug. 27 in a general membership meeting to authorize a strike if no tentative agreement with YCS was reached. Superintendent Chris Woods said in a statement Monday morning that the two sides will continue bargaining at 10 a.m. Labor Day, and the status of a potential strike is pending.
“We will continue bargaining in good faith Monday morning at 10 a.m. and are committed to resolving this matter as quickly as possible,” Woods wrote in his statement. “We will continue regular updates until school returns. We understand that this postponement may create significant challenges for your family, and we deeply appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this situation.”
The district previously stated Saturday, Aug. 31, that a decision on the potential postponement of the start of the school year would be announced Sunday morning, but Woods’ statement was not sent to families until after 7 a.m. Monday morning.
After negotiations completed after 1 a.m. Monday, YEA said in a Facebook post that its members hope to have a general membership meeting “sometime Tuesday morning” but that it is contingent upon reaching a tentative agreement Monday. The purpose of the meeting would be to vote on ratification.
“It is up to the district to determine which day school will begin this week,” YEA wrote.
YEA has not commented since the school district announced the postponement of the start of the school year. YEA officials told the Nisqually Valley News that YEA remains committed to finding a tentative agreement with the district.
Once a resolution is reached, YCS will return for a full 180 days of instruction and an updated school calendar will be developed, according to Woods. The district and school offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for families in need of assistance.
Until school is officially in session, staff will be unavailable to provide student services, but Woods encourages families to contact other community service organizations listed on the YCS website for student safety and well-being concerns.
The school district is also unable to provide meal service or student support at its schools while sessions are postponed. Families are encouraged to access resources listed on its website for food or social emotional concerns.
Woods said that athletic events and extracurricular activities “may be canceled or rescheduled” as the start of the school year is delayed. Yelm High School football, girls golf, girls volleyball, and boys tennis were all scheduled to kick off their seasons this week. No word has been given on the status of those events.
According to a statement from YCS released Saturday, Aug. 31, the district made an offer to the union at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, and at 8 p.m. The union countered on Saturday, but issues such as salary, optional days and working conditions were still being discussed at the bargaining table.
The district’s proposals, according to YEA officials last week, include cutting daily planning time for elementary teachers, eliminating overload payments, refusing to put any limits on special education and counseling caseloads, eliminating counselor positions, refusing to pass through state-funded salary increases, and refusing to ensure emergency call buttons are in every classroom.
