RIDGEFIELD, Wash. — A teacher strike in the Ridgefield School District that endured for just over one school week is now at an end, according to the teachers' union. School is set to resume on Monday,
The Ridgefield Education Association said that it reached a tentative agreement with the district on a new contract shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday.
Ridgefield teachers have been on strike since Sept. 9, causing canceled classes at all schools in the district just after the school year began.
The union membership voted overwhelmingly on Aug. 29 to authorize REA's executive board to call a strike if they deemed it necessary. After bargaining failed to reach an agreement through the Labor Day weekend and into the first week of school, the REA executive board voted to strike if a deal could not be reached by that Friday, Sept. 9.
“We extend our deepest gratitude to the many families, community members, union siblings and students who backed us,” said REA co-presidents Elizabeth Stamp and Kara Breuer said. “We should all be proud of what we accomplished and what we stood up for: student supports and respect for educators.”
The union said that details of the new agreement would be shared with members at a meeting Tuesday at Union Ridge Elementary School in Ridgefield.
Ridgefield School District confirmed that a tentative agreement had been reached and said that the school year would recommence with a regular attendance day at all schools, including the Early Learning Center, on Monday.
"As part of the final negotiations, an amended academic calendar will be finalized and emailed to parents, as well as posted on our school and district websites," administrators said in a statement. "School closures caused by a strike are much like weather-related school closures, and those dates must be made up. Students will receive 180 days of quality instruction regardless of any delays to the school year."
The union represents about 200 teachers and other staff in the district. Its previous three-year contract with the district expired just before the start of the current school year on Sept. 1. Bargaining for a new contract had been underway since June.
The district stated in Facebook posts throughout the week that schools would remain closed until the end of the strike, and missed days will need to be made up at the end of the year or during scheduled breaks, with the exact dates to be determined as part of bargaining.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more details as they emerge.