Seattle teachers pushed toward a strike

Seattle educators say their superintendent is “publicly trying to goad teachers into a strike, all to achieve reforms that don’t pass the common sense test.”

A new video from the Seattle Education Association shows a dozen teachers talking about how they’re trying to push for reforms in the classroom . But they say they’re being blocked by Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson.

“Don’t let our Superintendent mess this up. She needs to honor collaboration. She needs to listen to her own teachers, her own administrators. She needs to let change happen,” according to some of the teachers shown on the video.

Many educators are concerned about a new evaluation system the district plans to roll out in the fall. Right now they either meet expectations or they don’t. The new system gives teachers a ranking on 4 levels, similar to kids’ report cards.

Goodloe-Johnson told me in an interview earlier this month, the system shouldn’t be considered threatening to teachers.

“I’m being held accountable by the board, the system has to be held accountable, we have to be held accountable. I expect for all kids that the teachers hold themselves accountable for growth,” she says.

Seattle teachers vote on a new contract, or a strike, September 2nd.