Seattle educators get 10.5 percent raise in new tentative contract

A tentative one-year contract calls for a 10.5 percent raise for 6,000 Seattle Public Schools employees, according an email sent late Saturday afternoon to members of the Seattle Education Association.

The deal, reached late Friday, also includes five days of parental leave for teachers and substitutes, classified staff and office personnel.

The email was signed by Phyllis Campano and Michael Tamayo, the union’s president and vice president.

Educators in Seattle – the state’s largest school district – voted Tuesday to authorize a strike. The start of school had been delayed for tens of thousands of students in Washington after teachers and districts failed to reach contract agreements, mostly over salaries.

Teachers in seven school districts went on strike last week, according to the Washington Education Association, which represents state teachers.

Spokane Public Schools teachers ratified a new contract Thursday night that will raise their salaries by an average of 13.3 percent.