By
The Associated Press
SEATTLE - Teachers in Seattle and two other school systems planned a one-day walkout next week to protest state education budget proposals, giving more than 65,000 students an unexpected holiday.
The strikes were set for Tuesday on a vote of 1,849 to 1,081 by the 4,800-member Seattle Education Association.
Union President John Dunn called the job action "an education community action day" to bring pressure on the Legislature.
Dunn said teachers can instantly raise their pay by moving to such areas as Portland, Ore. "We've been calling this a silent strike. People are leaving," Dunn said.
He said some classrooms have no qualified teachers, and some buildings in Seattle are being run by people with less than five years' experience.
The state budget, which includes teacher pay and other education funding, is the biggest item on the agenda in the special legislative session that began Wednesday with the unveiling of the House version of a spending plan.
Teachers are unhappy with all of the budget alternatives proposed to date.
In November, voters approved ballot initiatives aiming to provide for smaller classes and other school improvements and requiring annual cost-of-living raises for school employees. But all state budget proposals cut education spending, meaning local governments may be forced to pick up the slack.
Union leaders contend the proposals deprive schools of the money voters wanted them to have and offer no long-term plans to reverse growing teacher shortages.
The strikes affect about 46,700 students in Seattle, 13,000 students in Issaquah and 5,800 in Tacoma.
The Washington Education Association voted earlier this year not to endorse a statewide strike over the issue.
