No school for Seattle kids Thursday as teacher strike continues

Students attending Seattle Public Schools will miss a second day of school this week, due to an ongoing teacher strike prompted by demands for better pay and student supports.

The strike, which will continue into Thursday, impacts more than 50,000 kids.

Karly Muller teaches at the Salmon Bay middle school in Northwest Seattle. She said up to a third of kids in her classes need extra support due to dyslexia and other learning challenges.

"If a student is struggling and I'm dealing with 34 kids...I don't necessarily pick up on the struggle," Muller said.

Muller also said the district needs to increase teacher pay to account for the skyrocketing cost of living.

"What they're offering is lower than the inflation rate right now, so essentially that's a pay cut," she said.

In the meantime, some parents are scrambling to occupy their children.

Brooke Oettinger and her two school-age children hit the playground at Golden Gardens Wednesday, which was supposed to be the first day of school.

"We are just extending summer vacation so we'll be going to playgrounds and beaches and just playing in the sun," Oettinger said.

But after all the disruptions from Covid, she said, the delayed return to the classroom is a big disappointment.

"For them not to start, it's a little sad," Oettinger added.

The city of Seattle is offering recreation programs for students from kindergarten through sixth grade as they await the return to school.

Teachers say they will continue to picket until a contract agreement is reached with Seattle Public Schools. The missed days of school will be tacked on to the end of the school year.