Educators bring contract fight to school board

After more than 50 days without a contract, Lake Washington School District classified staff flooded a school board meeting to demand a fair contract

REDMOND, WA (October 21, 2025) — Red shirts abounded at the Lake Washington School District board meeting last night, as classified staff in the district took their demands for a fair contract directly to board members. More than a month since their previous contract expired, Lake Washington educators are still fighting for basics like fair pay, full staffing, and improved leave.

For the workers, a major focus of current contract negotiations is changes needed for healthier schools. They’re fighting for full-day staffing for health rooms to ensure kids can get the care they need, and they’re pushing for more paid sick leave, so educators can take time off when unwell. Anyone with a school-age child knows how quickly germs spread in a classroom; staffing health rooms and ensuring educators can stay home when sick are essentials for caring for students’ health. And with chronic understaffing in all job classes a significant concern, educators are also seeking better compensation to attract and retain education staff, and back pay to make whole current staff who are working without a contract.

The Lake Washington Education Support Professionals bargaining team in September. Photo: LWESP

Joining the action were members of the Lake Washington Education Support Professionals, Teamsters Local 763, SEIU 925, and their supporters — including the Lord of the Underworld (or at least, the Lord of the Underappreciated, Undercompensated, and Underestimated). Sporting a snazzy ruby suit and bright red horns, an educator shared workers’ demands as well as educators’ frustration with contract negotiations that are dragging on despite workers’ attempts to find compromise:

While educators continue to press for a fair contract, community members can show their support by using this form to send an email to the Lake Washington school board and superintendent, urging them to settle a fair contract that adequately staffs schools, cares for students’ and educators’ health, and fairly compensates the classified staff who show up everyday to support teachers, students, and families.