WEA MidState

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

The beginning of the new school year starts a new year of learning for our students, and new opportunities for WEA members to also continue learning and growing as educators. Prepare for your TPEP evaluations, learn more about supporting multilingual learners, earn micro-credentials and more. Check out the latest member training opportunities through WEA at https://wea-win.org

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

Is it time for you to level up? Considering National Board Certification? We still have a few spots left in our cohort!
Contact La Vasha Murdoch at [email protected] if you are interested or to RSVP for our informational meet and greet!

09/02/2026

Welcome back to school, WEA members! We have rested, recharged and engaged in summer learning to prepare for the new school year. Many members are prepping for a new class of students, while others are already back in full swing. Have the best year yet! Stay engaged, stay united and continue to be the reason Washington’s public schools can and do meet the needs of every student! Not a WEA member yet? Head to https://www.washingtonea.org/membership/join/ to learn more about the benefits of membership and to join.

08/29/2026

Remember, you are a full person, allowed a life outside of your contracted time. Your union and the district have agreed upon what those contracted hours look like. There’s nothing wrong with you honoring that language.

"Per my contract." — Margot W.

IRON BALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL — A district email sent yesterday at 8:14 p.m., gently reminding staff to update gradebooks, refresh bulletin boards, and pre-pull Monday's copies, received a single reply, sent by third grade teacher Mrs. Winslow at 7:55 a.m. Monday, the minute her contract began. Her response thanked the district for its gentleness and attached a photograph of her wristwatch posed beside page 12 of the teacher contract, which lists her paid hours as 7:55 a.m. to 3:25 p.m.

Assistant superintendent Mr. Tolliver defended the request as "a small ask," an ask building staff have since priced at roughly three and a half hours of unpaid evening work. His follow-up, marked high importance and sent at 9:03 p.m., received a reply at 7:55 a.m., right when contract hours begin.

Her inbox now runs an automatic reply from 3:26 p.m. to 7:54 a.m. stating that the message has arrived outside contract hours and will receive her full attention the moment her attention resumes.

08/28/2026

School buses are back on Washington roads! And that means it's time for a refresher on when to stop. 🚌🛑

During a single day in 2026, Washington school bus drivers reported 960 illegal passes. If that pace continued across the 180-day school year, it would amount to more than 172,000 violations.

With nearly 341,000 Washington students riding the bus each day, knowing the rules matters.

🛑Flashing red lights or stop arm out? STOP.
🛑On a two-lane road, traffic in both directions must stop.
🛑On roads with three or more marked lanes, drivers traveling in the opposite direction generally do not have to stop, but drivers traveling in the same direction as the bus always do.

Illegally passing a stopped school bus carries a mandatory $500 fine.

Check out the graphic for a quick guide and read our full press release here: https://ospi.k12.wa.us/about-ospi/news-center/news-releases/school-buses-are-back-know-when-stop to learn more about school bus safety, Washington's stopping laws, and what drivers should know as students head back to school.

When in doubt, stop!

08/27/2026