If a tentative agreement is not reached with Seattle Public Schools by the end of the day on Tuesday, the strike would begin the following day, on Sept. 2, the district’s planned first day of school.

The vote to authorize a strike does not guarantee that it will actually happen. The bargaining team — representatives from the union and SPS — will keep negotiating “around the clock” until the current contract ends on Aug. 31, union representatives said. Bargaining can continue even on Sept. 1 — and if an agreement is reached that day, the strike will be called off, said union spokesperson Julie Popper.

The 91.2% vote in favor came after a four-hour member meeting at the Seattle Convention Center, where the bargaining team gave an update on their negotiations with the district, and members shared their opinions on next steps the union should take.

Seattle teachers last went on strike in September 2022, pushing back the start of school by five days.

Noatak Post, a second-year middle school music teacher at the district, said casting a vote felt both exciting and “nerve-wracking.”

“It feels good to be a part of something important,” Post said.

Robyn Jordan, a teacher in the district, said union members were “deeply dismayed by the district’s proposal for special education programming.”

Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Education Association, the union representing about 6,000 SPS teachers, paraprofessionals, secretaries, counselors and other staff, have been negotiating a new employment agreement since late June. Teachers last year agreed to a one-year contract that included a 2.5% pay increase and safeguards related to building safety, student discipline and classroom disruptions. This is the union’s first contract negotiation with the new superintendent, Ben Shuldiner, who took charge of the district in February.