Teachers and union pressure Washington Unified for higher pay and staffing

Teachers and union leaders told the Washington Unified School District board on April 10 that years of lagging pay and rising benefits costs are forcing educators to leave, and urged the board to make compensation and staffing a top budget priority.

“Teachers are making 26% less than other college‑educated professionals,” said the WSTA speaker and bargaining chair during a prepared presentation urging a comprehensive plan to close the district’s pay gap. Multiple classroom teachers who spoke during public comment said they had recently received job offers from neighboring districts paying tens of thousands more.

The message was consistent across many speakers. Haley Tushar, a fourth‑grade teacher at Stonegate Elementary, told trustees she loves her students but that she and colleagues are “facing a tough reality” because neighboring districts offer “anywhere from $10,000 to $17,000 more per year” for similar work. Several teachers said health‑care premiums and rising household costs were central to their decisions to resign or seek jobs elsewhere.

Why it matters: Washington Unified’s ability to recruit and retain teachers affects class sizes, special‑education coverage and program continuity across the district. Union speakers said the district budget contains discretionary spending that could be reallocated toward compensation and cited staff shortages in high‑need roles such as special‑education case managers and paraprofessionals.

What union leaders proposed: WSTA officials urged a negotiated plan that sets multi‑year pay targets and case‑load caps for special education. “We can’t wait,” the union’s presenters said, framing the demand as urgent for students and classroom stability.

District response and next steps: District staff acknowledged the shortfall and said budget decisions must balance competing priorities and legal constraints. Trustees asked staff to return with concrete budget scenarios and multi‑year options. No final compensation decision was made at the meeting; the board directed staff to brief them on tradeoffs and timelines.

Details and context: Dozens of teachers and classified staff spoke during the public comment period, describing lost colleagues, recruitment challenges and the operational stress of increasing caseloads in special education. The board heard requests to prioritize teacher pay and to reexamine travel and consultant spending so more funds could be directed to salaries and benefits.

What’s next: Trustees asked staff to include pay and staffing scenarios in upcoming budget work and to report back with options that can be considered during negotiations and the 2025–26 budget cycle.