Board approves labor agreements with changes to inclusion staffing support

What happened

The board approved a two-year Highline Education Association agreement through August 31, 2028, and a three-year Teamsters Local 763 Tier 3 agreement through August 31, 2029. Human Resources said the agreements include a three-factor model for inclusion staffing—general-education space, individual student needs and school equity/context—plus behavioral-support commitments and staff training.

Why it matters to families

The agreements set out a revised approach to allocating staffing for inclusion and commitments around student behavior and staff preparation, which can affect how students with disabilities are supported in district schools.

The evidence

The HR executive director described the inclusion allocation model as considering general-education spaces, unique student-level needs, and an equity factor reflecting school context; she also cited behavioral-support commitments and professional learning. The board then approved the HEA agreement 4-0-1 and the Teamsters Local 763 Tier 3 agreement 5-0 (September 16, 2026 transcript, document 95091).

The source