Teacher strikes delay first day of school for 30k students in southwest WA

The school year is getting a late start in two southwestern Washington school districts.

Teachers are striking in the Camas and Evergreen school districts near Vancouver, affecting over 30,000 students.

Beth Baker is a kindergarten teacher in Camas. She's been an educator for two decades and she still loves her job — even when she has to wrangle as many as 26 students, who she said suffer when classes get too big.

The issue isn't just affecting her kindergarten classes. Baker's children have been in classes of 36 students at the high school level, too.

"I'm a firm believer in relationships, of knowing each child and being able to connect with them every single day," she said. "They're not going to put forth any effort if they don't think you care."

That's one of the reasons Baker joined the picket line in Camas, where teachers have been striking since Monday. It was supposed to be the first day of school.

They're also fighting for more equitable funding for music and library programs, and better cost of living salary increases as inflation hammers families across the country.

Inflation aside, Baker said the cost of living in Camas has risen sharply since she became a teacher there — so much so that she moved her family out of the city.

Baker wishes contract negotiations didn't have to come to a strike — the first she's ever participated in.

"It's horribly sickening to be sitting here and not back in the classroom," she said. "I want to be in the classroom. I want my children in the classroom ... but not at the cost of their experience and not at the cost of fairness and equity."

In Evergreen, teachers are also demanding more pay, more time to lesson plan and collaborate with fellow teachers, and more support for students who receive special education services.

Officials at both districts have sent messages to families, apologizing for the disruption to the start of school and saying they hope to get kids back in class soon.

Negotiations in both Camas and Evergreen continued as of Wednesday evening.