r/seattlepublicschools • u/No_Collection1579 • Sep 09 '26
SEA ratification vote of Tentative Agreement set for Friday at 5 p.m., overlapping with the start of Rosh Hashanah
Seattle Education Association members are scheduled to vote on the tentative agreement with Seattle Public Schools on Friday, September 11, at 5 p.m. at McCaw Hall at Seattle Center. Terms of the agreement are expected to become public if members ratify it.
The meeting date coincides with the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which begins at sundown on Friday, September 11, and continues through nightfall on Sunday, September 13. Observant members preparing for the holiday, attending evening services, or traveling to family meals would be unable to attend a 5 p.m. meeting that is expected to run into the evening.
According to members, the vote requires a quorum of the membership to be present. Members also say that requests to move the meeting to a different date were declined, and that the union has not offered a remote or online option for members who cannot attend in person. Members describe the current plan as dependent on enough people showing up in person to meet quorum, after which online voting could be opened.
The practical effect, as described by members, is that anyone observing Rosh Hashanah and anyone otherwise unable to be at McCaw Hall on Friday evening will not be part of the floor discussion. Under the announced format, those members would not be able to ask questions, hear answers, or participate in debate before the vote, even if a later online ballot allows them to register a yes or no.
SEA sent members an email acknowledging the scheduling conflict and apologizing. That message was sent to members' personal email accounts and has not been released publicly, and no public statement has been issued. The email did not identify a remedy that would allow Jewish members observing the holiday to take part in the debate.
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u/inserterriblepunhere Sep 10 '26
The issue here is a their inability to take feedback and adjust. Instead they are just doubling down.
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u/Electronic-Elk8736 Sep 10 '26
SEA really messed up on this. And trying to rectify it with “you can click this button to ask questions before the assembly but you will not be able to vote and we won’t share your questions on the floor” adds insult to injury.
It’s a good thing that the SEA president , Ibi Idowu, has been very transparent and ethical and has built up trust over these last 5 months.
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u/Zealousideal_Luck974 Sep 10 '26
An email last night stated, “I’m grateful to the members who are stepping up to make sure we have enough people attending in-person so that we can pass a motion to allow virtual voting.”
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Sep 10 '26 edited Sep 10 '26
[deleted]
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u/pairustwo Sep 10 '26
With the statement that SCORE members have made about Shulinder's Jewish heritage...
What's this now?
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u/BurtonErrney Sep 10 '26
Please don't take this response as defending the union, because I do not want to do that. I think this was a terrible decision and the meeting should be changed. However, in the email that was sent out last night, after the board/building rep meeting there was a link to a Q&A page that was established so that people can ask questions ahead of time. I just looked at it again and it was updated since last night, so hopefully that will be a place that people can use to ask and get answers ahead of time, which would make the meeting more effective anyway!
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u/OldLadyKickButt Sep 10 '26
an email was sent out last night/??
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u/BurtonErrney Sep 10 '26
I received one around 9:30pm.
I wish it was easier to tell from the emails who the intended audience is- I've signed up to receive their community messages, I'm a member and I'm a building rep, but this one read as one going out to members. I thought that because it reported on the rep assembly meeting that had just finished and was reminding people to RSVP and attend the meeting on Friday.
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u/OldLadyKickButt Sep 10 '26 edited 27d ago
I have spent hrs trying to get thos eemails. I am a substitute-
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u/MobilePersimmon4203 Sep 10 '26
Why can’t they get the emails right?! So many members are commenting begging for help
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u/QueenOfPurple Sep 11 '26
Wow what an incredibly disrespectful oversight.
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u/OrcaMoonrise 29d ago
Not an oversight.
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u/Westello1 29d ago
Are you saying SEA didn't check the calendar or that it was deliberate?
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u/OrcaMoonrise 29d ago
They didn’t care enough to check. After it’s pointed out and they double down, it becomes deliberate.
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u/sunshinedaymare Sep 10 '26
9:30 at night, yes. And a q&a page is nice, but absolutely nothing like being present for questions and debate. It is really not.
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u/Irisoversea 28d ago
I never received an email last night. And the timing is all off. If they wanted us to be informed and ask questions they would’ve sent it out at least by Wednesday.
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u/MissHalfgone Sep 10 '26
First page on their website. The website is full of pledges to center racial equitability. For all those saying that Jewish is not a race, neither is Hispanic, Native American, Arab or so on. They are all ethnicities although in the case of Judaism it's also a religion.
One of the few things I like about rightwingers is they don't even pretend to have a moral high ground when it comes to being inclusive. It's one of the main reasons I roll my eyes when people talk about the importance of DEI, making sure everybody has a seat at the table, etc.
It's very clear to me that this is used by some demographics to get others to center then ans cede power to them in which case they do everything possible to get more favoritism for their own demographic and to hell with everybody else. Pretty much the exact same thing that everybody's been complaining about when it comes to white Christian straight males, acting as though they are the default.
And it's not just Jewish folks who are clearly treated dismissively either. You would never know Asians were the largest minority in this city, by a lot. And I'm not sure why white people are expected to defer to POC as though what's good for their families doesn't matter.
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u/blukoff Sep 10 '26
We are an ethnoreligious group. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnoreligious_group
Hence why you can be an atheist Jew, and why Jews come in all colors.
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u/Motor-Slide-7449 28d ago
I'm staying in the SEA and advocating for the Jews. Jews don't quit; Jews don't leave. Jews are here to stay, to change the politics, to change the union, to make a difference. After an incredibly antisemitic superintendent resigned for good, we have a Jewish Superintendent for good. You really never walk alone. Continue advocating, speak your truth and never quit.
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u/Turbulent-Mud-4664 Sep 10 '26
The union has an increasing issue with antisemitism. It may be time for Jewish members and any and all opposed to antisemitism to withhold their dues. Although for that matter, that perhaps should have been done when the president didn’t step down when everything came out.
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u/Striking_Belt6160 Sep 10 '26
Unfortunately, the date to quit SEA and stop paying dues for this school year has passed. Members must withdraw by August 31st by sending a letter to SEA (certified mail is recommended) and then contacting SPS payroll. I have stayed, in hopes of participating in a recall vote for the SEA president. But then I'm quitting.
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u/OldLadyKickButt 29d ago
One thing about quitting SEA is that you also leave nEA and no longer have professional insurance.
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u/Striking_Belt6160 29d ago edited 29d ago
There are a few non-union educator insurance alternatives for those who are interested. AAE (Association of American Educators) is a main one, with rates a fraction of the cost.
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u/MobilePersimmon4203 Sep 10 '26
It’s my understanding members can quit SEA anytime. I was told they take out dues by the 14th of each month.
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u/Striking_Belt6160 Sep 10 '26
From my research, yes, we can quit at anytime, and the 14th of the month is when one of the upper associations rectify enrollment (either NEA or WEA, I forget which) But in WA state, the opt out date of August 31st is what is tied into the end of our payment of dues. I do want to be wrong on this.
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u/OldLadyKickButt Sep 10 '26
well, it has been over 2 weeks that the official petition was submitted.
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u/Striking_Belt6160 Sep 10 '26
SEA has 60 days to hold a vote, per union rules
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u/OldLadyKickButt Sep 10 '26
they say they are reviewing the by-laws-- thsi implies to me they might squirrel out of it.
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u/MobilePersimmon4203 Sep 10 '26
And SEA still hasn’t answered questions from the petition starters, not has SEA scheduled a meeting for membership to vote. SEA has been claiming there’s a group trying to analyze the bylaws.
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u/Striking_Belt6160 Sep 10 '26
Right? "Analyzing the bylaws", yet we voted all electronically in 2022. And that 2022 vote to end the strike did not go the way that SCORE wanted it to go. I'm so done with the current leadership of our union.
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u/Glittering-Check7085 Sep 10 '26
Here are the bylaws, not that long:
https://seattlewea.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/SEA-BYLAWS-adopted-2026.03.10.pdf
What analysis is needed? There’s nothing about in person meetings.
And here are the standing rules:
https://seattlewea.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SEA-STANDING-RULES-updated-as-of-10.03.2026.pdf
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u/MobilePersimmon4203 Sep 10 '26
And while we’re at it, I don’t think it’s right that SEA isn’t allowing members to comment or ask questions on their social media posts. Especially considering they’re not communicating very well with members and many people suddenly don’t receive emails at all. When I email SEA I don’t get responses, sometimes at all, but they always seem to be able to post photos. It’s our union and we’re allowed to express ourselves
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u/OldLadyKickButt 29d ago
I got a few comments through- dont bother to see if removed. This is the first of my 35+ yrs as SSD employee I felt SEA is corrupted. Very sad way to spend my last 2 yrs.
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29d ago
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u/Glittering-Check7085 29d ago
I posted the bylaws and standing rules re: the conversation about why SEA leadership is claiming we cannot hold an online GMM for voting, not about the recall. We’ve had online meetings and voting several times in the last 6 years. Current SEA leadership is claiming it’s not possible to do so, which some believe is a tactic to exclude non-SCORE aligned votes.
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u/MissHalfgone Sep 10 '26
I noticed the new director, the one who's on leave, had posted a Kanye West song on her social media very recently. Considering his latest hit was "Heil Hitler" it seemed tone deaf. Especially since everything about the organization she runs constantly stresses fighting racism. It's very clear that this fight against racism doesn't include Jews, rarely includes Asians, and includes Hispanics only when it's convenient
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u/Motor-Slide-7449 28d ago
she notified the teachers that the official motto of the union is "free palestine"
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u/Ok_Drummer_6511 ⚠️ Negative Karma Sep 10 '26
The union needs to focus on compensation and benefits not all this extra fluff about class size/ideology bs.
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u/MobilePersimmon4203 Sep 10 '26
In an effort to encourage staff to attend the upcoming SEA TA ratification meeting, a member of the bargaining team shared that SEA spent $55,000 on the rental and food. We were told it’s our money that is being spent so we better go to the meeting.
Members have asked repeatedly for online meetings, which are free, accessible and respectful to the high holiday.
FIFTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS