The proposal by the Seattle Public Schools (SPS) for its new teachers' contract is an excellent first step in improving the quality of teachers in the school district. The district's proposal targets many of the problems identified in the October 2009 report "Human Capital in Seattle Public Schools". Most notably it addresses two key areas that were of fundamental concern to National Council on Teacher Quality: fully implementing mutual consent hiring and improving teacher evaluations. Also noteworthy is the career ladder which recognizes and rewards highly effective teachers and which gives teachers increased responsibilities and prestige while in the classroom. The district's proposal makes an appropriate connection between teacher quality and student achievement goals. This paper comments on the policy proposals put forward both by SPS and the Seattle Education Association, also offering the assessment of each proposal's importance for this contract round. Proposals are labeled as either a "must have" or as "important". The distinction between the two being that proposals designated as a "must have" will have the most immediate impact on teacher quality.