The Yelm Education Association (YEA) members ratified the collective bargaining agreement with Yelm Community Schools (YCS) Tuesday, Sept. 3, with 84.5% approval, staving off a potential strike.
The YCS Board of Directors is now expected to vote to ratify during its Thursday, Sept. 12, meeting.
Negotiations for the three-year agreement began in June, although the vast majority of the meetings between both sides took place in the last month. YEA’s bargaining team met after 1 a.m. on two consecutive days this past weekend in an attempt to reach an agreement.
The district announced Monday morning that the first day of school would be postponed “until further notice” as negotiations continued into the afternoon. Members of YEA had overwhelmingly voted Tuesday, Aug. 27, to authorize a strike if a tentative agreement was not reached before the first day of school.
Things started to look up on Monday, Sept. 2, when the two sides reached a tentative agreement, YCS Superintendent Chris Woods announced in an email to families and staff and the teachers.
“We are thankful for the community’s support in helping us reach a fair contract for our members and creating the best environment for our students,” YEA co-Presidents Tasha Johnson and Kat Cullum said in a press release after Tuesday’s vote. “We hope the community continues to support Yelm Community Schools and staff in years to come.”
According to YEA in the press release, highlights of the agreement include reduced workload for staff; pass through of state-funded salary increases and cost-of-living adjustments; reduced workload for counselors; protected daily planning time and increased time for elementary teachers.
Two of the sticking points the YEA did not mention in the release were reduced class sizes and ensuring emergency call buttons were to be installed in every classroom.
With the ratification, teachers and students in first through 12th grade were set to return to the classroom Wednesday, Sept. 4, with kindergartners set to begin Monday, Sept. 9.
Parents with questions about bus routes can see the district’s Ride K-12 App showing pick-up and drop-off times or visit the district website at www.ycs.wednet.edu for more information, or contact transportation if they need assistance.
