More than 100 Puyallup teachers turned Monday’s school board meeting into a standing room only event. The teachers are demanding higher salary increases.
Their union, the Puyallup Education Association, is in contract negotiations with the school district.
“Without higher pay, Puyallup would lose good teachers to nearby districts that have negotiated substantial pay raises for their teachers,” union president Karen McNamara told board members.
McNamara said despite new state funding, Puyallup is not offering the kind of raises teachers in other districts are seeing.
The Washington Education Association said recent negotiations across the state have resulted in anywhere from 12-18 percent raises for teachers.
Puyallup teachers said they have been offered 3.1 percent.
“We appreciate our teachers… and we’re going to do the very best we can,” said Superintendent Dr. Timothy Yeomans.
Yeomans said while state funding did increase for the upcoming school year, Puyallup did not get as much as other districts.
Yeomans said along with the additional funding, districts are no longer allowed to use levy funding dollars for teacher salaries, something Puyallup did.
“The levy for us declines 55 percent,” said Yeomans. “If you look at some other districts, their levies go down 9, 11, 13 percent.”
Yeomans said teachers will be offered raises in the upcoming contracts, but not as much as other districts.
He said it wouldn't be possible or financially responsible.
“One thing we’ve made a commitment to, in our district, is we’re going to be sustainable,” said Yeomans.
