Despite Judge's Ruling, Tacoma Teachers Vote To Continue Strike

AP (9/16) reports that despite a court order to return to the classroom, striking teachers in Tacoma, Washington, "voted overwhelmingly" to remain on the picket line on Thursday. "Some 93 percent of the nearly 1,600 teachers gathered at the Tacoma Dome arena said they wanted to keep picketing." Tacoma teachers are striking "over issues including pay, class size and how job transfers are handled." The AP places the story in a national context, noting that ED "wants every state and school district to update the way they evaluate teachers, and a weak economy has most states struggling to find enough money to pay teachers." Noting that the strike by 1,900 teachers is cancelling school for some 28,000 students, Reuters (9/16, Gorman) reports that district officials expressed disappointment, and the superintendent referred to the strike as illegal.