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Board ratifies three‑year teachers’ contract and approves 180‑day waiver and minute increase
Summary
The board approved the Issaquah Education Association collective bargaining agreement for Sept. 1, 2025–Aug. 31, 2028 and authorized staff to file a three‑year OSPI 180‑day waiver; the board also approved increasing student contact (BEA) minutes by five at all elementary schools and at five middle schools to preserve waiver eligibility.
The Issaquah School District Board of Directors ratified a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the Issaquah Education Association (IEA) covering Sept. 1, 2025 through Aug. 31, 2028 and approved related calendar and minute changes designed to preserve eligibility for inclement‑weather waivers.
An administrator speaking at the meeting described the tentative agreement as the result of months of bargaining and said the union membership had ratified the tentative agreement, making it a collective bargaining agreement. The administrator highlighted investments in inclusion and supports for students with special needs, and said the agreement includes steps to increase collaboration between special education and general education teachers.
Board members thanked both bargaining teams for their work and emphasized the timing ahead of the start of school. Director Mullings said she was “excited” that the agreement integrates the board’s equity‑based budgeting priorities and stresses supports for buildings that need them most.
Related calendar actions: staff explained that consolidating two district professional development days (October and January) into a single January PD day would make that date eligible to count as a student day under state rules. To ensure eligibility for a full inclement‑weather waiver, the district presented a proposal to increase student contact time (BEA minutes) by five minutes at every elementary school and five minutes at five middle schools; staff said that change equates to roughly 11.9–12.9 additional hours of student contact time over a school year and would move the district above the BEA threshold needed to apply for state waivers.
The board voted by voice to approve the CBA, to authorize filing a three‑year OSPI 180‑day waiver for 2025–26 through 2027–28, and to authorize the BEA minutes increase. The board and staff said the superintendent will return with calendar details and that any substantial start‑time or bell‑time changes will be reported to the board and negotiated with the union where required.
What to watch: the district plans to coordinate calendar communications with families (board members emphasized clear messaging, particularly that the October date is likely to be a student day), and the superintendent said proposed calendar adjustments and final union approval will follow.
