Kent teachers ratify 3-year contract just 2 years after strike

Kent School District teachers ratified a tentative three-year contract on Wednesday, June 26, much earlier than the 2022 deadline when an agreement was reached only after a nine-day strike.

“Our members feel a sense of relief that they can go into the summer without having to worry about a collective bargaining agreement, especially after the last one had to break out into a strike before it could be concluded,” said Tim Martin, president of the Kent Education Association (KEA, teachers’ union), in a June 27 email.

KEA and the school district have been negotiating since February, Martin said, and they had hoped to reach an agreement before the end of the school year on June 14.

“We were off schedule, but we were close,” Martin said. “Our tentative agreement was approved with 85% in favor, which is a strong result.”

The Kent School Board could vote on the contract at its July 10 meeting if all documents are in place, Martin said. That vote could be postponed until July 24.

“The top two priorities of our members were workload/caseload and mental health support, and lastly, salary,” Martin said of the just over 2,000 members. “The feedback we’ve received from most of our members is that it’s a good contract, especially given the financial situation most other districts are facing with ESSER (federal pandemic relief) funding going away.”

The estimated salary range for 2024-2025 is $70,866 for a first-year teacher with a bachelor’s degree to $138,371 for a teacher with 20 years of professional experience, a master’s degree, and 90 credits of advanced courses. Teachers earn more depending on how many years they have taught and how many credits they have earned beyond their bachelor’s degree.

The average teacher salary for the 2023-2024 school year in Kent was $100,417, according to salary numbers released by the Kent School District in 2022 after agreeing to the current two-year contract. About 75% of KEA members have a master’s degree or more, leading to higher pay.

For 2025-2026, estimated salaries increase to $72,233 for a first-year teacher and $141,000 for a teacher with 20 years of experience and a master’s degree with 90 or more credits. In 2026-2027, salaries increase to an estimated $74,472 and $145,371, respectively, representing a total jump of about 5% in three years.