Kennewick teachers strike

Six days of negotiations with a state mediator failed to yield a new contract for teachers in the Kennewick School District.

The union voted a week ago that if a tentative agreement was not reached between it and the district by the first day of school, Tuesday, August 27, then they would go on strike.

The KSD released a statement Monday evening, stating in part, "We understand that this is a challenging situation for families. We will continue to work to resolve this labor issue as soon as possible. We value our teachers and want to pay them on a level comparable to neighbor districts while maintaining fiscal solvency. The last offer presented to KEA would increase teacher salaries by 7.25% and would pay teachers comparable to Pasco and other neighbor districts. The KEA has not accepted this proposal as of 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 26."

How far apart the two sides are remains unclear.

The district did address one aspect of the situation, the fall sports season: "School-based athletic practices and events will continue to be held at their regularly scheduled times, as coaching contracts are separate from the KEA contract."

According to the Kennewick Education Association Facebook page, teachers will begin picketing at 8am Tuesday in front of their individual schools.