Good for them! The district's proposals and counteroffers have been ridiculous. Seattle Public Schools pays its teachers (who live in the district with the highest cost of living in the state) too little, the district is obsessed with testing practically no one wants them to be doing, and the children likely would do better on those tests if they got more recess. I could be wrong, but it seems like parents support the teachers, on the whole, and think the district is being ridiculous. The district is generally ridiculous, actually. Here's hoping they lay off major swaths of ridiculous administration when they finally agree to the the union's terms.

"First strike in 30 years" is pretty disingenuous, considering it was as recently as May this year that I had to scramble to find backup arrangements for my kids due to a SPS teacher walkout. I do support them but that seems like a pretty weaselly PR factoid on their part.

@2, the teachers had a protest in May due to high stakes testing, which most parents supported. That had nothing whatsoever to do with the current collective bargaining agreement.

We hear about strikes almost every year, but that is because there are so many school districts in the Puget Sound region, there's almost always one of them striking. If you don't pay attention to which actual district is striking, it just sounds like background noise, and it leaves the impression that Seattle goes on strike a lot, which it doesn't.

@2, the May action was also coordinated with and supported by the district. The difference is far from 'weaselly'.

The May walkout was a protest over state educational budgets. It was supported by the district because in that case it benefited the district too. Ok, it may not be a "strike" in the collective bargaining sense, but it's still "teachers refusing to work for political/strategic reasons," which is indicative of an ongoing problem, in my opinion.

Solidarity with the teachers, all the way. Them and the children they teach have been getting pushed around and in front of the bus for long enough. If you check out their demands, they're focused on providing a quality education and that's something we can all get behind.

So let me see #5 that this is somehow about you. That you have to do something inconvenient for you and you find that burdensome. The deterioration of the public schools via the funding measures, disproportionately affecting some districts over another due to the way funding is decided - its an outdated weighted formula that does not truly take into considerations the special needs of students... hence McClearly. Now #5 knowing about McClearly would require you to spend time reading and becoming informed.. .aka "Educated" about the issues in the classrooms that many Teachers and their Students face. Since you think it is an ongoing problem leading to the strike.. what exactly in YOUR opinion is that. The Common Core is quite specific that you state 3 facts when you write and that you distinguish opinion from fact. So let's have 3 facts. Thanks.

@7, if there's a specific statement or question in your incoherence (which, incidentally, does not contain one single properly written sentence), I can't find it, but I can see that you think I'm upset that I was inconvenienced. As a matter of fact, I'm not upset about that at all. As I mentioned, I support the teachers, and having to make alternate arrangements for my kids simply served as a clear and date-specific reminder of just when we last did this sort of thing. I don't know if you think this means I'm saying the teachers should just be happy with what they've got or what -- as I mentioned, your writing is pretty fucking terrible -- but let me assure you that what upsets me is not that the teachers want change, but rather that we have problems which apparently cannot be addressed by any other means except using the kids' ability to go to school as a goddamn bargaining chip.

Well let me make it more rational and coherent as message boards on the Slog are known for the masters thesis level of discourse that you expect

Please go ahead and lets review my points in a simplistic manner that you require. As insulting me is a typical Seattle response to any time anyone has the audacity and temerity to disagree with anyone about anything.

So this is not about YOU at all and having to find alternative arrangements for your progeny. Whom I assume are brilliant and pleasant as you. I can only imagine what dreams they are to have in a classroom. Glad I am not a Teacher imagine those parent student conferences.

And now what exactly are the three issues you have problems with regards to the strike and the contract negotiations. Or just that it is again an inconvenience to you and you having to give a shit about anyone other than yourself?

Is all this simplistic enough for you? I always love when the best one can come up with you are incoherent and write badly. Is this now acceptable or can I do something more for you? Such as mind your wonderful studious HCC children? Please tell me more about how my writing is terrible, I am a bitch or some other absurd justification for your hateful response that failed to find anything substantial in which to respond other than just well that.

@9, you haven't "disagreed" with me, you've attacked me with a bunch of random shit-slinging. I said your writing sucks because it demonstrably does, and it hinders your ability to make any worthwhile points. It's germane. You claim I'm upset about being inconvenienced and that my children are probably badly behaved and that I'm probably terrible at parent-teacher conferences. All unsupported ad hominem straight from your ass. And apparently you imagined that I called you a bitch. Frankly, when you combine the flailing about with your general illiteracy, you sound unhinged.

My only complaint in this comment thread has been the characterization that the teachers haven't had a strike in 30 years, when they had a strike just this spring. I'm 100% on the teachers' side and am glad they are striking and hope we can convince the legislature to properly fund education so we don't have to keep jerking the kids around about whether or not they get to go to school on any given day. I just think it's disingenuous to say they're striking for the first time in 30 years. There's a calculated public relations reason they're saying that, and that's to put themselves in a better light, and despite the fact that I'm on their side, I have to call it bullshit.

And just in case you start complaining that I haven't given you the "three issues" you're so hot and bothered about because one time you learned one thing about formulaic 8th-grade-level writing (but obviously the basics of grammar or sentence structure), I offer you a pre-emptive "eat my ass."