Teachers in the Lake Washington School District voted on Thursday to shut down classes on May 6, the first approval by a King County teachers union to walk out to protest what they claims is a failure of the state legislature to fully fund basic education.

Educators in the largely suburban district serving the communities of Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish now join fellow teachers in districts in Pierce, Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom counties who have already conducted a one-day walkout or have voted to schedule a day of protest.

The Lake Washington Education Association’s—the union representing LWSD’s teachers—posted news of the walkout vote to its Facebook page late Thursday night.

LWEA joins Fourth Corner Locals in staging a one day  walkout against the legislature on May 6th. With an 83.5% vote of…

Posted by Lake Washington Education Association on Thursday, April 23, 2015

 

Prior to the LWEA’s announcement on social media, LWSD Superintendent Dr. Traci Pierce sent an email to parents notifying them of the impending walkout, saying the “LWEA worked closely with the district to schedule this action on a day that would minimize disruption for students and parents to the greatest extent possible.”

In the email, Pierce seemed also to speak for the teachers union, saying, “It is important for families to know that this LWEA action is not directed at the Lake Washington School District or the Lake Washington communities. We share the LWEA’s concern that the legislature should fully fund basic education.”

An official statement was also posted on the Lake Washington School District website.