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MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Seattle students guaranteed 30-minute recess; teachers, district continue bargaining

Sep 6, 2015, 9:32 AM | Updated: 9:30 pm

Seattle students will now get 30 minutes of recess time. (AP)...

Seattle students will now get 30 minutes of recess time. (AP)

(AP)

While Seattle teachers say they have major issues left to resolve before school starts on Wednesday, students have won 30 minutes of recess time.

The school district agreed to the recess proposal in a bargaining session on Saturday, according to

“Recess is a critical learning issue for kids,” Shelly Hurley, special education teacher at Graham Hill, told the SEA. “Kids learn social skills and problem solving in recess. This is a big win for the students of Seattle.”

Graham Hill, a school in South Seattle, has had 20 minutes of daily recess, according to the SEA.

Still at issue are pay raises, teacher evaluations, and testing.

On Thursday night, Seattle teachers authorized a strike if the union and district can’t come to an agreement before the first day of school on Sept. 9.

The teacher’s union is fighting for 6 percent raises every year for three years, while the district is offering 6 percent total over three years.

“For the district, it comes down to that they’re saying they can’t afford this,” said Seattle Education Association vice president Phyllis Campano. “We’re saying that it’s really important for our kids that we work on these issues and that we get these issues resolved, and get our kids starting on school on time.”

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Seattle students guaranteed 30-minute recess; teachers, district continue bargaining