‘Please end this madness:’ Still no contract for ESD office personnel after 8 months of bargaining

It’s been eight months since members of the Edmonds School District office personnel union first sat at the bargaining table with the District. Union members say the District rejected 39 of the union’s 61 initial proposals, leading the union to file for mediation with the state. After about 11 bargaining sessions and six hours of mediation, there’s still no contract to replace the previous one that expired in August. 

The District rejected all nine of the top proposals requested by members of the Edmonds Office Personnel Chapter #1106 of Public School Employees of Washington union, according to union leaders. The requests involve compensation, time off and staffing levels.The District deemed some of them “untenable due to high costs,” according to a statement from the union. The district received over $426 million in revenues for the 2024-2025 school year, up from about $402 million in 2023-2024.The estimated four-year cost of the union’s proposals is about $37.7 million, $34 million of that being wage increases for about 140 people.

The Edmonds School Board in May approved the equivalent of 12 full time staff cuts to address an estimated $8.5 million budget deficit for the 2025-2026 school year. This was in addition to over $25 million in reductions the district made over the past two years.

For compensation, the union is requesting the same inflation pay increases that other staff in the District receive. The rate is based on Washington’s Implicit Price Deflator, which sat at 2.5% in 2025. The District also denied this proposal due to financial constraints, the union said. Hourly pay for office professionals in Edmonds School District ranged from $30.98 to $38.78 in 2024-2025. 

“Office personnel are the heartbeat of this district,” said Cindy Bartlette, an office manager at Edmonds Elementary School and union negotiator. “We’re in every school, every office, including the District office, making sure the work gets done. We’re the first voices families hear when they call for help. …We keep this District moving even when it feels like no one notices. We’ve given our time, our energy and our hearts to this District. We’ve done it through budget cuts, short staffing and endless demands.”

Office personnel are often the first people to greet those who walk through a school’s door, but the job extends past managing who comes in and out of a building, union members say. Duties include directing calls, communication with parents, managing finances and attendance, inventory, scheduling and so on. 

Despite sometimes working long hours, staff say it’s still not enough time to get everything done. Lauri Velasquez, a union negotiator and former president and office manager at Beverly Elementary School said this year she and another staff member worked about 25 hours in overtime to keep things in check as students returned to school. 

“There has been incredible turnover in our positions these past few years, and I think that reflects the weight and stress of the job,” Velasquez said. 

Before her school secured a grant to increase her work day from 6.5 hours to 7.5 hours, union president and negotiator Celeste Valle, who works at Cedar Valley Community School, said she couldn’t keep up with the workload. She said she’d often get migraines from stress and exhaustion. Still, she said she’s so exhausted that she needs to sleep for hours after getting home from school to muster enough energy for the rest of the day. 

Despite working more days in a year than teachers, office staff get two personal days per year, half as many as teachers are allowed. The District denied the union’s request for one additional vacation and one personal day, citing financial constraints. 

“The Edmonds School District continues to bargain in good faith with our Office Professionals union,” Edmonds School District spokesperson Curtis Campbell said in a statement to My Lynnwood News. “As is our standard practice, we do not discuss bargaining details outside of our bargaining sessions. We remain committed to a respectful, collaborative process that supports our employees and our school community.”

The bargaining team said there’s been some progress since filing for mediation with the state. The District presented its first proposal at a session in early November and ratified contracts with about 15 union members. There has also been some movement on requests regarding increased minimum hours per day required for office support staff, pay increases for bilingual employees, longevity pay, additional medical stipends and compensation for completing required training outside regular work hours. 

Valle said she spends about 80% of her day speaking in Spanish to students and parents. She emphasized the importance of additional pay for bilingual staff, as the district encourages staff to call designated translators when needed, rather than staff aiding in translation. Valle said this poses a communication barrier, speaking to the humanity and security of face-to-face conversations with parents and staff. 

Regardless of the recent progress, Valle said she and her colleagues feel “exhausted, overwhelmed” and “truly disrespected,” by how long it took to get this far. 

For years, union representative Phoenix Horn has negotiated year-round for several unions statewide. It’s not common for an employer to take several months to present a proposal, he said.

“That’s not just a delay, that’s a message, a message that says our time, our work and our dedication doesn’t matter,” Bartlette said.

“Are you approaching this with preconceived ideas or implicit bias about secretarial work?” Velasquez asked the Edmonds School Board at a meeting Tuesday. “Do you truly think that our work is key to the function of this District, or do you just assume that because the majority of us are women, that our work does not have the same value that other jobs entail?”

The goal was to reach an agreement when the previous contract expired in August, Horn said. He said he believes the progress made thus far wouldn’t have occurred without a state representative stepping in for mediation. 

“It’s two-and-a-half months after the finish line,” Horn said. 

The absence of a contract is causing confusion and apprehension among staff as the cost of living climbs and working conditions grow more chaotic, Horn said. More than anything, the bargaining team said they’re eager to draw this to a close and get back to their jobs. 

“The weight is taking a toll,” Valle said. “Our office staff show up every day, running schools, supporting families… all we want is a timely resolution so people can feel stable.”

“Please end this madness,” Bartlett pleaded at Tuesday’s board meeting. “We have real work to do. We’re not invisible, we’re not optional. We are the foundation that helps this District stand, and it’s time we’re treated that way.”

— Contact Ashley at ashley@myedmondsnews.com.