Camas, CEA, Reach Agreement — Buck Clark County Teacher Strike Trend
Camas, WA — At the eleventh hour, negotiations between Camas School District (CSD) negotiators and the Camas Education Association (CEA) ended in a tentative agreement — to avert a strike — that will be voted on by union members Monday, September 3, at Camas High School.
“We’re very excited, said Camas School District Superintendent, Jeff Snell. “We are grateful we could find common ground and move forward.”
During our interview with CEA President Shelley Houle, she said: “Just in time for Labor Day, CEA and CSD achieved a Tentative Two-Year Agreement that brings total individual educator compensation in year one ranging at entry from $50,727 to a maximum of $97,529 for educators with 16 or more years of experience as well as a Master’s Degree plus ninety college credits. The salary range in 2019-20 is from $52,868 to $100,110 with 15 or more years of experience and a Masters plus ninety college credits.”
Please see our in-depth YouTube interview with Houle: Interview with Shelley Houle
The CEA will be meeting for a private association meeting to review and ratify the full Tentative Agreement on Monday (Labor Day), September 3rd at 5 pm.
Snell can’t speak to the details until the CEA ratifies the agreement, but said he’s very pleased they arrived at a settlement before the new school season begins on Tuesday.
“We came to an agreement around the parameters that CEA wanted,” said Snell. “We know it’s going to be hard in the future. It’s going to be hard because of the new state model. We really tried to mirror those demands fairly. I feel good about it. The details will come out tomorrow. Camas bucked the trend in Clark County.”
He said each district is very unique.
“We are just fortunate we came to an agreement on both sides,” Snell said. “We hope other districts will get it done, as well. What happens is they ratify and the School Board will approve the next contract at their next board meeting. Districts around the state are starting to move a little more, which will create a lot of energy.”
Details of the settlement will be revealed Monday evening.
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As a community member who was deeply concerned about the Camas teachers’ potential strike, I am relieved and happy to hear that the parties have reached a tentative settlement and the strike has been averted! Bravo to the School Board for listening to the community and working hard to meet the demands of their excellent teaching team! The kids can start school tomorrow on time! Teacher morale will be restored. Camas schools will continue to be hailed as the area’s best! As a retired arbitrator, I can say with confidence that collective bargaining works best when the parties work together in good faith. This settlement proves that point. Thank you. Thank you.