Teachers in Evergreen and Longview announced early Sunday they reached tentative contract agreements with their school districts.
Longview Public Schools
Scheduled Start: Aug. 29
Days Missed: 7
Details of those deals were not immediately available from either school district or their local unions.
If ratified, school would start at Evergreen Schools on Monday and in Longview on Tuesday.
Evergreen Public Schools
Scheduled Start: Aug. 28
Days Missed: 8
Teachers remain on strike in Centralia, Tumwater, Tacoma and Battle Ground.
Related: Teachers From 8 SW Washington Districts Approve Deals To End Strikes
Longview teachers have been on strike since Aug. 23, and in Evergreen since Aug. 28. The deals come days after
a court order by a Cowlitz County judge
that mandated teachers in Longview return to work.
"Educators say the agreement allows Longview to attract and keep caring, qualified educators in the community for Longview students," according to a press statement from the Washington Education Association.
Battle Ground is now the last southwest Washington school district on strike after most teachers in the region took to the picket line at the start of the school year. In most cases, teachers in Clark County have received 10 percent or greater compensation increases as part of new teacher contracts being negotiated across the state after the McCleary education funding decision.
Battle Ground teachers said they are planning to show up at a school board meeting Monday night to speak about their demands.
"We cannot be the lowest compensated district or we will not keep those who stayed and attract the best educators in the future," wrote Linda Peterson, the Battle Ground Education Association president.