{"id":226482,"date":"2026-03-19T05:27:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T05:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/226482\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T05:27:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T05:27:29","slug":"west-sacramento-prepares-to-be-third-teacher-strike-in-the-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/226482\/","title":{"rendered":"West Sacramento prepares to be third teacher strike in the region"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Abridged version:<\/p>\n

Two Sacramento County teacher unions have been on strike for more than a week. A third group, in West Sacramento, is ready to follow.<\/p>\n

Bargaining between the teachers union and Washington Unified in West Sacramento is in the last round before a strike can legally occur. District and union officials said they expect this stage to last a few weeks.<\/p>\n

Washington Unified approved emergency plans to keep schools open in case of a strike. Parents say they are nervous seeing the disruption in nearby Sacramento schools.<\/p>\n

West Sacramento teachers are gearing up to follow the lead of their neighbors in Sacramento County and stage the district\u2019s first-ever strike.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Union members and district officials began their final round of negotiations, a last-ditch effort to prevent a work stoppage.<\/p>\n

A potential strike is likely still weeks away. And bargaining teams stress they are still hoping to come to an agreement.<\/p>\n

Teachers in Washington Unified, West Sacramento\u2019s school district, are making many of the same demands as their neighbors in Sacramento County. <\/p>\n

Strikes in Twin Rivers Unified and Natomas Unified have stretched beyond a week<\/a>, as educators in both continue to spar with the districts over significant pay raises, 100% employer-funded health care and smaller class sizes.<\/p>\n

Schools in these North Sacramento districts have stayed open through the teacher strikes. Washington Unified officials last month approved a contingency plan to keep campuses running, including employing substitutes at up $500 a day.<\/p>\n

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When would a strike happen in West Sacramento?<\/p>\n

A teacher strike in West Sacramento would probably occur at the soonest in early April, according to union members.<\/p>\n

Bargaining teams and a neutral mediator met Tuesday. District spokesperson Giorgos Kazanis said a second meeting is scheduled for March 24, during spring break.<\/p>\n

Schools in Washington Unified will be on break starting Monday, March 23, until Monday, April 6.<\/p>\n

\"Protest\"Parents and teachers stage a protest at the Washington Unified School District office on March 17, 2026. (Cameron Clark)<\/p>\n

The entire process preceding a strike can last several weeks, according to an FAQ page<\/a> created by the district for families.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe timeline depends on scheduling panel sessions, reviewing evidence, and preparing the final report,\u201d the webpage says. The mediator\u2019s report will include recommendations for a compromise and contract.<\/p>\n

Families plan for worst case scenario<\/p>\n

Rachel Usher, a mom of two, said she and other working families are using the weeks of anticipation to prepare. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe scramble to find different plans,\u201d Usher said. \u201cGrandparents, missing work, whatever we can really find.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Protest\"Parents and teachers stage a protest at the Washington Unified School District office on March 17, 2026. (Cameron Clark)<\/p>\n

She is particularly concerned for her child with special needs. Should a strike occur, she said she worries, \u201cWho\u2019s going to be with them? Who\u2019s going to be doing their accommodations? What is it going to look like?\u201d<\/p>\n

Families experiencing the Sacramento County teacher strikes have said they are frustrated with the stalled negotiations<\/a> and the district\u2019s decisions to keep schools open. Many expressed worry about the atypical conditions their students are expressing, including missed learning time.<\/p>\n

Parents \u2018show solidarity\u2019 with teachers.<\/p>\n

Julieta Guardado works in the cafeteria at Riverbank Elementary School and has two kids enrolled in Washington Unified. Like Usher, Guardado was at a rally Tuesday, led by the West Sacramento Teachers Association outside the district\u2019s central office.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important to show solidarity,\u201d Guardado said, through a Spanish translator.<\/p>\n

\"Protest\"Parents and teachers stage a protest at the Washington Unified School District office on March 17, 2026. (Cameron Clark)<\/p>\n

Around 3:30 p.m., about 50 people \u2014 teachers, parents and children \u2014 gathered in a symbolic picket line, as union and district leaders were inside negotiating. By the time the rally ended hours later, a member of the union organizing team said about 300 people had checked in over the course of the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate,\u201d that educators are having to consider this step, Usher said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis didn\u2019t need to happen,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd there\u2019s still time to make it right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Savannah Kuchar\u00a0is a reporter covering education. She came to Sacramento to be a part of the Abridged team and contribute to a crucial local news source.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Abridged version: Two Sacramento County teacher unions have been on strike for more than a week. A…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":226483,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122,65250],"class_list":["post-226482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news","tag-secondary-highlight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=226482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226482\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/226483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=226482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=226482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=226482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}