THE FIRST OF three teacher walkouts on the North Olympic Peninsula will take place Friday, and two other district teacher unions will walk out Monday, closing schools for one day to more than 7,500 students in the three districts.
Chimacum teachers will walk out Friday, and Port Angeles and Sequim teachers will walk out Monday, the district teacher unions have said.
The three districts are among 49 statewide where teacher unions have voted to join a “rolling walkout” in protest of the state Legislature’s inaction in fully funding K-12 education as required by the state Supreme Court.
The Chimacum School Board planned to meet Wednesday night to vote on Friday’s school closure.
PA board vote
On Tuesday night, the Port Angeles School Board unanimously approved the closure of all Port Angeles schools Monday, including scheduled student activities and athletics.
Port Angeles and Chimacum makeup days are scheduled for June 15.
Sequim schools will hold a makeup day June 18.
High school seniors who are scheduled to graduate will not be required to attend the makeup day.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula have offered to help parents with short-term child-care options during Monday’s walkout.
Both the Port Angeles unit, 2620 S. Francis St., and Sequim unit, 400 W. Fir St., will offer activities and care free to all students, including nonmembers.
The Boys & Girls Clubs will be open from 7:45 a.m. to 6 p.m.
McCleary ruling
The state Supreme Court ordered full funding of kindergarten-through-12th-grade education in the state’s public schools by 2018 in its 2012 McCleary ruling, in which Stephanie McCleary, an administrative aide at the Chimacum district, was the lead plaintiff.
The court cited legislators in September for contempt for making no progress toward the goal and gave them until the end of the legislative session this year to show progress or risk sanctions.
The Legislature is now in a special session to consider education funding, among other actions.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
