PORTLAND, Oregon — Teachers in Oregon's largest school system have voted to authorize a strike after the district and union failed to reach an agreement, according to a social media post from the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT).
The post, made Thursday night on Facebook, contains an image stating, "99% of Portland teachers vote to strike!"
Portland Public Schools (PPS) Communications Director Will Howell, reacted to the news with a statement: "We want to reach a fair, sustainable settlement, and we will stay at the bargaining table as long as it takes to get there. We ask our educators to stay at the table with us, not close schools."
PPS parents and community members were also notified that teachers intend to begin striking on Wednesday, Nov. 1, according to a newsletter sent out by the district.
KGW has reached out to the PAT to confirm those details.
The results of the vote came a day after the union and district once again failed to reach an agreement. PPS administrators held a virtual meeting on Wednesday for families on the district's contingency plan. If teachers walk out, the district said they would have no choice but to close schools, meaning no in-person class or online instruction.
However, students will have access to self-directed lessons from home. Families that qualify will be able to get grab-and-go meals. Varsity sports will continue operations, but other extracurriculars will be postponed or rescheduled. PPS has posted more information on their website.
Educators are pushing the district for more funding and more resources. Negotiations on a new contract for teachers has been ongoing for months. The union is demanding better wages with cost-of-living adjustments, smaller class sizes and more dedicated prep time each week for teachers.
PPS said everything the union wants would cost much more than they have the budget for. School district officials said there is an almost $230 million gap between their offer and the teachers union's demands.
"There is not enough money in administration if we cut all of administration and had no central services to bridge the gap in the PAT proposal and the PPS proposal," said Dr. Renard Adams, who is on the district's bargaining team. "We have repeatedly asked the Portland Association of Teachers for a short list of their priorities, and they've continued to say that it's a comprehensive package."
The PAT previously issued a statement on Wednesday that said, in part, "It was clear to the PAT bargaining team yesterday that the district wasn’t serious about coming to an agreement that gives our students what they need. We have asked for more bargaining dates and are waiting to hear back."
PAT's statement also said if PPS wanted to avoid a strike, it needs to come to the table with more funding and resources for students and schools.