Originally published September 2, 2009 at 4:35 PM | Page modified September 3, 2009 at 11:44 AM

Ruling on Kent teachers strike delayed a day

A King County Superior Court Judge said she needs more time and has delayed until Thursday her decision on whether to force striking Kent School District teachers back to the classroom.

By Nancy Bartley

Seattle Times staff reporter

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JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Shermanita Jones-Bigham, center, and Amy Collins, right, hold picket signs Wednesday in front of the school where they teach, Mill Creek Middle School, on another day of the Kent School District teachers strike.

Saying she needed more time, King County Superior Court Judge Andrea Darvas postponed until today her decision on whether to force striking Kent School District teachers back to the classroom.

Darvas said she received a 24-page brief from the Kent Education Association just before a 3 p.m. hearing began Wednesday and wanted time to familiarize herself with the union's argument. She is scheduled to make her decision at an 11 a.m. hearing today.

At Wednesday's hearing, solemn-faced teachers packed the courtroom. "I'm frustrated ... I just want to be back in the classroom with my kids," said Kentlake High School teacher Theresa Turner.

In a move that shocked teachers, the school district filed for an injunction Tuesday asking the court to call the strike illegal and send teachers back to work. The strike began Aug. 27, delaying Monday's scheduled opening of school.

The two sides remain divided over classroom size and mandatory before- and after-school meetings.

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