Seattle teachers voting on whether strike Tuesday

Update: The union has voted to authorize a strike on the first day of school, Wednesday, September 7.

Seattle public school teachers are set to announce today (Tuesday) whether they've voted to authorize a strike on the first day of school.

Teachers spent Monday afternoon at Judkins Park preparing signs for the picket lines. They will hold a rally at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon at district headquarters.

The district presented teachers with a "memorandum of understanding" over the weekend that calls for retroactively paying teachers agreed-upon raises if they continued negotiations and started the school year on time.

Seattle Education Association President Jennifer Matter said in a statement, posted on Twitter, the offer was a distraction and called on the SPS to reach a tentative agreement that "better serves students."

Among the concerns expressed by teachers are reasonable workloads, respectful pay and more wrap-around services for students with special needs.

The district wants to include special needs students in mainstream classrooms with paraeducators, but teachers worry the district will make promises it can’t keep.

There's also concern teachers will wind up being responsible for students with complex needs in addition to their own students.

The Seattle Education Association asks each school have a part-time social worker or counselor, and positions that are paid for with PTA funds at schools with wealthier families.