PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Public Schools may have to extend the school year well into June to make up for lost time in the classroom due to the ongoing teachers strike. Classes were canceled again on Wednesday, marking the ninth day students were out of school.
Oregon students are required to get 900 hours of instructional time each year, 990 for high school students. Portland Public Schools had built more instruction time into the calendar than the state required: 931 hours for K-8 and 1,032 for high school students. But after nine days of missed class, Portland elementary students are already on pace to fall seven hours short of the required 900 hours of instruction and high school students are roughly 13 hours short of the required 990. The student day is longer than instruction time. Lunch, assemblies and passing time don’t count.
District officials say until the strike is over, it is difficult to determine exactly how many days students will need to make up to meet state requirements.
“We really can’t commit to extending the school year or not until we know how long the teachers have been out,” said Dr. Renard Adams, chief of research, assessment and accountability for PPS.
In 2017, Portland Public Schools added two days to the end of the school year to make up for lost time due to nine snow days. The district also eliminated late starts and early releases. At the time, the district considered various other options including shortening spring break and Saturday classes, as well as adding minutes to the beginning or end of the school day.
The last day of school in Portland is scheduled for June 11. There are four possible snow make-up days listed on the district calendar, including President’s Day, Feb. 19 and June 12, 13 and 14. Several professional development or teacher planning days could also be used for make-up instruction if unions approve.
If a district doesn’t meet state instructional time requirements, they can ask the State Board of Education for a one-year waiver. If a district doesn’t get a waiver, they must report out of compliance for the year and come up with ways to correct the issue.
A spokesperson explained the department of education is monitoring the length of the strike and impact on instructional time requirements.