Evergreen Public Schools (EPS) has officially pushed back the launch of the 2025-26 school year to September 2, as stated on their website. Amidst ongoing negotiations with a union representing classified employees, the EPS Board of Directors postponed the first day of classes, which was initially set for August 26.
As talks with the Public School Employees (PSE) Large Group union continue, the delay serves as a strategy to provide additional time for an agreement to be forged. According to KATU, Dr. Christine Moloney, EPS Superintendent, "By delaying the start of school, we are giving bargaining teams an opportunity to reach a contract that is fair to both sides and sustainable under our current budget constraints."
On the front lines of this labor dispute are approximately 1,400 classified staff, including paraeducators, bus drivers, security officers, and maintenance staff. The legitimacy of their demands for higher compensation stems from a broader struggle for a living wage. A parent in the district, and president of the Evergreen Chapter of the Public School Employees of Washington SEIU Local 1948, Mindy Troffer-Cooper, told OPB, “We have paraeducators, bus drivers, different classifications that are not being able to meet their basic necessities and are having to work two and three jobs to survive."
The district's bargaining website reveals that progress has been made on several fronts, including tentative agreements on personal leave days and wage increases for certain positions. Despite earlier reports by KXL indicating a mediator from the state's Public Employee Relations Commission had been involved since July, the strike threat loomed large as the union's contract neared its August 30 expiration.
While classrooms remain closed for an additional week, sports activities for middle and high school students proceed as planned, and administrative services such as new student registration and boundary queries actively welcome engagement either in person or by email.
