Seattle Caucus of Rank-and-file Educators

@seattlecore206.bsky.social

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Rank-and-file SEA educators for racial equity, fully-funded schools, and for building a transparent, social justice union through collective action.

For our two-day summit, folks joined both in person and online. On Day 1, we explored the history of progressive caucuses within SEA, examined the organizational structure of SEA, WEA, NEA, and labor councils, reflected on our successes and areas of growth regarding our 2025-26 Priorities, and then worked in small groups to brainstorm our goals for the upcoming year. On Day 2, we discussed and began voting on our 2026-27 Priorities.
SCORE's Summer Summit is Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 2 from 10am to 1pm at Columbia Branch Library (4721 Rainier Ave S, Seattle) Join us as we organize with joy and build union power. We will reflect on our points of unity to establish our organizing priorities for the coming year. If you are only able to be there for part of the summit, you are still welcome to attend! There will be child care and snacks. RSVP at bit.ly/SummitViaZoom for the hybrid option.
On April 28, Mayor Wilson announced that Seattle would provide free school meals to all students funded through the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) Levy. With 79.97% of voters approving the renewal of the FEPP Levy in November 2025, the public understands the importance of supporting our students and families. And as families are experiencing growing pressure as food prices rise, free universal meals for students is one step we can take as a city to provide a financial ease to our families while simultaniously supporting our students learning. As educators, we witness the impact of hungry students in our class. When students do not have adequate nutrition, staying focused and engaging in learning becomes more challenging. Students should never have to choose between going hungry or worrying about whether their family can afford a school meal. Free school meals is under threat! On July 10, Councilmembers Hollingsworth and Foster co-sponsored Amendment 6 to Mayor Wilson’s Levy Plan to postpone free universal school meals until the 2027-28 academic year. Speak out against Amendment 6! Feed our students now! Come show support for our students and families by testifying before Seattle City Council! (Learn how to testify on the next slide). FEPP Levy Committee Meeting Wednesday, July 22 at 9:30am Seattle City Hall (600 4th Ave) If you are unable to come out on Wednesday, you can call 206-684-8888 or email at council@seattle.gov.
On July 4-7, the National Education Association held the 165th NEA Annual Meeting and 105th NEA Representative Assembly in Denver, Colorado. During the RA, there were 5,934 delegates, representing over 3 million NEA members who deliberated, took positions, and voted on new business items, amendments, and NEA leadership. Folks who organize with SCORE were elected delegates of Seattle Education Association and part of the Washington Education Association delegation. The approximately 280 Washington delegates caucused on July 3 and each morning of the RA to take positions on new business items and amendments. This year, there was a coordinated effort by NEA leadership to shut down democratic deliberation. They found people to make motions to close debate and to use similar scripted arguments against New Business Items. Common arguments were that the NBIs cost too much money and the resources requested already exists on nea.org. If a resource exists, then it is absurd for an NBI to be priced at thousands of dollars to disseminate or implement.
The Declaration of Independence consists of 27 grievances against the British Crown, King George III. In 1776, slavery is legal in all 13 colonies. In the draft of the document, Thomas Jefferson wrote the following condemning slavery: He [King George] has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither. This piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel powers, is the warfare of the Christian King of Great Britain. Determined to keep open a market where Men should be bought & sold, he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or restrain this execrable commerce. And that this assemblage of horrors might want no fact of distinguished die, he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them, by murdering the people on whom he has obtruded them: thus paying off former crimes committed again the Liberties of one people, with crimes which he urges them to commit against the lives of another. Only "domestic insurrections among us" remains in the final document. The rest of the passage, directly blaming the Transatlantic Slave Trade and slavery in the colonies on King George III, was intentionally omitted to protect the economic interests of the men in power. Jefferson’s grievance arguing that one wants to be free from British rule because of slavery, then when no longer under British rule, it becomes more challenging to justify slavery. By ignoring the horrors of slavery in a founding document, it has allowed the United States to spend the preceding 250 years ignoring racial injustice and the need for reparations.
June is LGTBQ+ Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising that started on June 28, 1969. The Stonewall Inn was a bar in New York City that welcomed LGBTQ+ people during a time when homophobic laws and political tactics forced LGBTQ+ people to hide themselves. Police consistently raided gay clubs to expose and arrest members of the LGBTQ+ community. The Stonewall Inn was particularly targeted because it was welcoming to people of color especially Black trans women. Stonewall was an uprising against police brutality and violence against queer and trans communities. The Stonewall Inn continues to operate as a bar and as a national historic landmark. Stonewall was not the first nor the last act of resistance in the modern queer liberation movement. Here a bit of Seattle queer history. In 1967, the Dorian Society became Seattle’s first gay organization to focus on awareness and advocacy. In 1974, Seattle organized its first Gay Pride Week, and three years later, the Seattle mayor formally declares the first official Gay Pride Week, which included a parade. In 1978, Seattle establishes an ordinance to ban discrimination in housing against “sexual minorities.” With progress, we must fight against the backlash. In 1978, two Seattle police create Save Our Moral Ethics and file Initiative 13 to repeal anti-discrimination ordinances. Community organized against the I-13, and Seattle voters rejected the initiative by 63%.
Bargaining Kickoff Rally. As negotiations began with Seattle Public Schools, Seattle Education Association rallied to show solidarity with the Bargaining Team. There were speeches, chanting, and comradery-making among members. A link to contract proposals was also shared. [pictures of members wearing SEA union shirts].
Congratulations on the end of the school year! Also, shout out to the SAEOPs who will continue to work over the summer to prepare for our students in the fall! Thursday, June 18, 5pm: End of the School Year Celebration at Star Brass Works Lounge in Georgetown Friday, June 19, 11am: Labor-led Juneteenth March near Lumen Field (2nd & S. King St.) to ILWU Local 19
Have you submitted your tech pay? CERTIFICATED Each year, you can submit up to 32 hours of self-directed technology learning. In the CBA, it is known as Technology Learning Time (IV.F). Paraprofessional For the 2025-2026 school year only, you can submit number of hours equivalent to one workday for self-directed technology learning (II.C.1.a). What counts as tech time? Acquiring skills in how to use data to improve instruction, using digital resources, managing instruction, leveraging technology for collaboration and communication, incorporate digital citizenship into classroom instruction, etc... To submit hours: mysps.seattleschools.org > ESS/MSS > Employee Self-Service > Working Time > Record Working Time > On the dropdown menu select 4.Tech Day-Cert > Input time
The Labor Notes Conference is happening in Chicago this weekend; it gathers rank-and-file union activists and union reformers from across the labor movement. UCORE, United Caucuses Of Rank-and-file Educators, is a network of educator caucuses whose members share strategies and support in the work to transform their unions. UCORE met on Friday, and some SCORE folks were in attendence. A highlight of the day of was hearing from the President of Ithaca EA about how they opened up the bargain and offered a great blueprint for building member engagement through thoughtful bargaining. The day ended with a presentation from the international attendees; it was a powerful illustration about how the struggle is the same everywhere and the solution is a militant strike ready union.
End of the School Year celebration! Thursday, June 18 5:00pm Star Brass Works Lounge 5813 Airport Way S, Seattle Come relax and celebrate the end of the school year and the start of the new SEA leadership positions!
Public Testimony Educators showed up in large numbers, and made up a majority of the speakers during public testimony, to highlight the negative impact of displacements and layoffs. There is a need for a June adjustment and to start the school year with fully staffed schools. Additionally, there are 20 paraprofessionals and 8 office staff who have received layoff notices. There were a few students who spoke to and advocated for keeping the engineering program at Roosevelt High School. Student School Board Member This was student representative Sabi Yoon’s last meeting; the directors spoke to her wonderful contributions. Action Items The Board passed the closure of the Seattle Central College location of Middle College; the location at North Seattle College will remain open.
The election is certified! On Friday, May 8, the current SEA Board upheld the SEA Bylaws and certified the election. SCORE’s Endorsement Guide focused on candidates who are committed to making our union more transparent and democratic, and most of those candidates were elected and are now ready to assume their responsibilities on Thursday, June 18. SCORE-Endorsed Winners! SEA President: Ibijoke Idowu Director of Center for Racial and Social Justice: Isaura Jiménez Guerra SEA Treasurer: Ashley Myers SEA Board of Directors, High School Representatives: David Corliss Makena Gadient Dan Shapiro Stef Skiljan Eli Zavatsky Multi-grade Representatives: Fabricio Calvet-Recktenwall Sam Friedman Middle School Representatives: Alaina McCallum Alison Underdahl Elementary Representatives: Elena Cusack Jenn Hogue Jannah Horvath Jake Miller April Zhang Paraprofessional Board President: Demetrice Wheeler Paraprofessional Board VP: Alex Kramer Substitute Board VP: Sarah Potter
Come out to the School Board Meeting! 🗓 Wednesday, May 13 at 4:30pm 📍John Stanford Center 2445 3rd Ave S (by SoDo lightrail) Displacements and layoffs of educators will have a negative impact on students’ learning conditions in the fall! Since the Purple Book (SPS’s School Funding Allocations) was released in February, schools across the district felt significant impacts due to higher class sizes in the Weighted Staffing Standards (WSS) and the inaccurate enrollment projections. We cannot wait for the October shuffle to properly staff our schools; SPS must must act now and implement June staffing adjustments. In the past week, at least 25 educators have received notices that they are being RIFed (Reduction In Force, aka laid off). These layoffs impact schools ability to provide the supports that students need and deserve. Bring signs! Sign up for public testimony! Sign up at bit.ly/spstestimony on Monday, May 11 at 8am. - The first 20 people to sign up are guaranteed to speak. If 35 people sign up, then there are 25 speaker slots. - Can testify remotely or in-person. - Testimony length: 2 minutes
During today’s screening of United Teachers Los Angeles’ documentaries “When We Fight” and “We Build Power,” we successfully met our learning objectives. To expand our imagination and understanding of what a fighting union looks like. To identify strategies to both democratize our union and build coalitions. To provide additional motivation for the Get Out the Vote campaign. Thank you to the union leaders and educators who organized to make the historic 2019 strike possible and for those who were dedicated to documenting the process, so we could use it as a framework. It was powerful to witness examples of UTLA building coalitions with families, students, and SIEU Local 99, another union in the LA School District.