STRIKE ISSUES
Why are you closing schools during the strike? Can’t we have substitute teachers teaching students? Currently, we have around 150 substitutes, which doesn’t come close to the number of teachers we would need. Additionally, many also substitute in other districts.
If our schools don’t start on August 28, will we have to make up the missed day(s)? State law requires 180 days of instruction, and the state will grant no exceptions to that law because of a strike. Makeup days would first follow our inclement weather makeup days. However, final decisions about when strike-lost school days will be made up will be determined when the strike is complete. Possible make-up days can include Saturdays, winter break, spring break, non-student work days, and days added at the end of the year. School cannot legally be held on Sundays or holidays.
Will athletics be allowed to continue while schools are closed? Coaches have a separate contract that would not be impacted by a CEA strike.
What about childcare and preschool? All preschools and childcare and Community Education classes are tied to the school-year calendar and would be closed until school resumes.
I’m not in CEA. Am I supposed to go to work? Employees who follow the school day calendar (9- and 10-month staff) will not report to work until the school year officially begins. Year-round staff members will work their normal schedule.
SALARIES
How much are Camas teachers earning? When did they last receive a raise? Camas teachers receive raises on a regular basis. Over the last three years, teachers have seen total increases between 8.3% and 11.6%.
| Total Compensation | Starting Teacher | 7 yrs., MA | Top Teacher |
| 2020-21 | $54,469 | $71,949 | $103,130 |
| 2021-22 | $55,667 | $78,519 | $105,399 |
| 2022-23 | $59,724 | $80,286 | $111,711 |
| Three-year % Change | 9.7% | 11.6% | 8.3% |
Is the district proposing salary cuts? How can we go backward in pay? Our current proposal offers a 4.95% increase in the first year of the contract plus IPD for years two and three.
| Total Compensation | Starting Teacher | 7 yrs., MA | Top Teacher |
| 2023-24 | $62,679 | $84,263 | $117,242 |
| One-year % Change | 4.95% | 4.95% | 4.95% |
The district is using IPD to calculate raises rather than CPI, which we had in our last agreement. Why? The State of Washington calculates funding for salary increases based on the US Implicit Price Deflator for Personal Consumption (IPD), not the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Using IPD more closely aligns our spending with revenue.
From our state’s Office of Financial Management: The IPD measures the prices of a much wider group of goods and services than the CPI. For example, the IPD includes all consumption of health care rather than just out of pocket expenses and consumer purchased insurance measured in the CPI. The IPD is based on current economic conditions and consumer expenditures, tastes and preferences. It is frequently used to adjust state economic and revenue data. The state expenditure limit is based on the IPD as well as inflation adjustments in the state’s biennial budget.
https://ofm.wa.gov/washington-data-research/economy-and-labor-force/inflation
