If teachers strike, Parks and Rec is expanding their after-school program into day camps.
The Seattle educators teachers union voted unanimously to strike last week. "Picket lines will begin at 8:30 am Wednesday at every school," the union says. SB

School Is Postponed, Teachers Are on Strike: Today would have been the first day of school in Seattle, but the thousands of teachers and other members of the Seattle Education Association are on strike for better pay (especially if the school district wants to lengthen the school day), limits on standardized testing, and more equity teams at districts to address racial disparities. This is the first strike at Seattle schools in thirty years, and the district has threatened to take the union to court to block it. But why are they striking, really? Jen Graves answers that question comprehensively.

You Can Send Your Kid to Day Camp for the Rest of the Week: The city of Seattle is offering day camps at community centers and other options for parents and kids who need them.

The State Supreme Court Ruling on Charter Schools Could Cut Funding for Them: The court issued its ruling overturning Washington's charter school law late Friday before Labor Day weekend, so if you missed it, go check out the news here. KPLU reports that charter school advocates are believe a network of private donors will step in with funds for the state's nine charter schools in the event that state dollars stop flowing later this month.

One Question for the FBI: "Why is it that me speaking out about the value of Black life resulted in the FBI knocking on my door?" That's what 22-year-old journalist Jama Abdirahman wants to know. He wrote an article about women in the Black Lives Matter movement in June; in August, FBI agents knocked on the door of his home, then called him on his cell phone and asked about the article. These are scare tactics, plain and simple, Abdirahman says.

How Can Seattle Take in More Refugees from Syria? Hussein Ali, a Syrian immigrant based in Seattle, is organizing meetings around the issue and "wants the community to pressure their Congressional representatives to increase the limit of 8,000 Syrian refugees allowed into the U.S," Alex Garland reports.

Watch out, Patty Murray! Your new challenger wants to shut down the goverment.
Watch out, Patty Murray! Your new challenger has a bold plan to raise the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 68. Seniors can suck it. Senate.gov

Senator Patty Murray Has a New Republican Challenger for 2016: His name Chris Vance and he's steering clear of conservative social touchstones, KPLU reports. His top priority? "Reforming Social Security and Medicare." Dude also supported the shutting down the federal government in 2013.

Senator Maria Cantwell Comes Out in Support of Iran Deal: She's the last Democratic senator to take a position on the historic deal negotiated by the Obama administration, giving the Dems the number of votes needed to filibuster a Republican resolution attacking the deal. The deal sets up an inspection regime for Iran's nuclear energy program in exchange for lifting sanctions on the country.

Baltimore Will Pay Out $6.4 Million in a Settlement for Freddie Gray's Death in Police Custody: It's the city's largest-ever police misconduct settlement, but not by much. "As part of the settlement," ColorLines reports, "the city accepts full civil liability for Gray’s arrest and death, but does not acknowledge police misconduct." The murder trial of six police officers involved in the case is proceeding on a separate track.

If We Treated Teachers Like Athletes: Imagine.