The Marysville Teachers Association will decide today (April 21) if it will vote on the issue, union president Randy Davis said. If it decides on a strike, it would happen at a future date.

Other educators in Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties will participate in the scheduled one-day walkout.

Lakewood teachers will be holding protest signs at the intersection of Interstate 5 and Highway 531 from 7:30-10:30 a.m. They will then join Arlington and Stanwood teachers in marching from Centennial Park to Legion Park in Arlington, starting at 1:30 p.m.

Arlington Education Association president Eric Grant encourages the public to join in the protest in Arlington “to send our legislators the message to fully fund our schools.”

Meanwhile, a senior analyst with the Freedom Foundation says Lakewood teachers who strike face disciplinary action.

“Lakewood… is obligated by contract to take disciplinary action against any teachers who participate in any job action. The Lakewood Education Association is obligated by the contract to communicate with members and to discourage participation,” Jami Lund said.

While Lakewood students will be out of school, Arlington’s will still have school in the morning as scheduled. The afternoon already was scheduled as a teacher training day. Teachers there agreed to walk out in the afternoon.

“We appreciate that the union has been clear that the walkout is not a protest against our school district, but is an effort to influence the legislature,” Arlington Superintendent Kristine McDuffy says in a letter to parents on the district website. “We also appreciate that consideration was given to have the least impact to our students and families.”

Lund gives another point of view.

“I think families might be frustrated to know that the Arlington school board agreed to allow a service disruption any time the NEA, WEA, AFT, 4th Corner UniServ and its members want to. Other districts do a much better job of affirming the importance of education services,” Lund said.

The 139 teachers in the Lakewood Education Association will have a one-day walkout.

“The decision to walk out Wednesday was not made in haste,” said Larry Delaney, president of the LEA.

In weighing the pros and cons of a work stoppage, Delaney made it clear the action there is not directed at the Lakewood district either, but rather the policy makers and state legislators in Olympia. Teachers want smaller class sizes, among other issues.

“I will be interested to see if … Lakewood school directors follow their contractual obligation to withhold pay and take disciplinary action against those who disrupt services to families,” Lund said.

Both Delaney and Grant said teachers can no longer remain silent about the legislature’s refusal to obey the state Supreme Court’s 2012 McCleary ruling that they are in violation of the state Constitution that says public education is the state’s “paramount duty.”

Delaney says in a letter to The Arlington Times-The Marysville Globe: “They have ignored the voters who last November, through the initiative process, enacted a law reducing class sizes in all grades. Lakewood teachers will be standing up for our students, standing up for our communities, standing up for our profession and standing up to our legislators in Olympia.”

Delaney said he knows this will inconvenience some, but that teachers have to take a stand.

“We realize our work action may impact the community for a day. Our goal, however, is to impact the community for years to come with smaller class sizes in all grades, and increased funding for all school districts across the county, region and state,” he says.

Lund said teachers are going about it the wrong way.

“Education funding has increased very dramatically in the last three years, and is on track to increase significantly this year. This strike is only about attempting to make the union enterprise in control of what the priorities of spending will be,” Lund said.

Arlington schools information

$98,700 – teacher salary average with benefits

$73,916 – teacher salary average

$53,422 – area taxpayer wage average (2013)

5,199 – number of students

$54.3 million – annual budget

$10,452 – budget per student

(16% increase since 2012)

263 – number of teachers

(staffing for class sizes of 19.7 students)

$232,246 – Superintendent salary (Kristine McDuffy)

Lakewood schools information

$92,753 – teacher salary average with benefits

$70,284 – teacher salary average

$53,422 – area taxpayer wage average (2013)

2,235 – number of students

$23.2 million – annual budget

$10,425 – budget per student

(10% increase since 2012)

110 – number of teachers

(staffing for class sizes of 20.3 students)

$147,211 – Superintendent salary (Michael Mack)