A Message from Ben Shuldiner

Dear Seattle Public Schools Community,

I am so grateful that we have a tentative agreement (TA) with the Seattle Education Association (SEA) and school was able to start on time.

Thank you. I am sorry. Let's get to work.

I want to thank SEA, and specifically every member of the bargaining team, for working incredibly hard to get us over the finish line. The thoughtfulness, care, and time that every member put into this work was apparent throughout the process. From late-night caucuses to small group meetings and large group conversations, the concern for our students and district was palpable. We would never have gotten a TA before the start of school without everyone putting our students and district first. Thank you for being such a wonderful partner in this work.

Even when we disagreed or small groups became frustrated, no one lost their cool or acted unprofessionally. There was no yelling, pounding of tables, or threats of any kind. I have been in a lot of negotiations, and for such a large bargaining team to reach a TA with so many moving parts is an incredible accomplishment. I can't tell you how appreciative I am of you all. I look forward to working side-by-side as we make SPS the best urban school district in the country.

I also want to thank the district bargaining team. You worked incredibly hard so we could open school on time. I will never be able to thank you enough for blocking out the noise of negotiations and focusing on the needs of our students, staff, and district. I am forever grateful for those who showed up day after day to do the hard work of bargaining.

I also want to thank our entire community for understanding that negotiations are a process. What is a proposal on Monday may change five times by Friday. A salary request or programmatic change might be "put on paper" at 5 p.m. while a small group is simultaneously discussing changes that will be made by 10 p.m.

So many of you sent emails of encouragement and support. Even the terser and angrier emails were couched in a desire to have the district better support our staff and students. Thank you for being so engaged in the process.

And to our families, I know these last few weeks have been tense. The specter of a strike, finding alternative care for your children, and worrying about what happens next, all coalescing around a very real deadline, was incredibly stressful. Thankfully, we opened school on time and had three great days this week.

I want to apologize for the long and somewhat fraught process. We didn't reach a TA until very late Tuesday, which meant many folks went to sleep not knowing if there would be school the next day. We tried to finish as quickly as possible, but we also wanted to get it right. A possible three-year CBA is not something you want to rush at the last minute.

I also want to apologize for anything I might have said or done that caused offense. It was never my intent to cause harm or unease. The long email I sent last week was necessary to express the district's side of the story, but there were very clear rules about what I could and could not say. I am sure some of what I wrote came off as stilted or possibly worse, and I am sorry for that.

Most importantly, I am sorry if anyone took my words as an attack, especially on the SEA. When so much information, and some misinformation, abounds, it is important for the district to share its perspective. If I did that in a way that was hurtful, I deeply apologize. Now that this part is over and school has opened, I hope we can all move forward and work together.

This week I visited 10 schools and attended three high school football games. Everywhere I went, people were excited and engaged. The energy, enthusiasm, and love of our school community pervaded everything I saw.

Shout out to Alki Elementary for their first day in their new building. Congratulations to Rainier Beach on the opening of their new Performing Arts Center, and congratulations to both Lincoln and Ballard for a sold-out opening football game. I can't wait until we open Memorial Stadium so we can have even more of our community in the stands.

This year is shaping up to be very special, and I cannot wait to share with you all the great work we are doing on behalf of our 50,000 students.

Thank you all for believing in SPS. With your help and hard work, SPS truly will be the best urban public school district in the country.

Ben