PORTLAND, Ore. — Class could be cancelled for over 40,000 Portland Public Schools students if the district fails to reach a new contract agreement with the Portland Association of Teachers by Nov. 1, when the union has warned that it plans to go on strike.
“98.9% of them voted yes, to authorize a strike," said Angela Bonilla, the PAT President.
The union held the vote earlier this week, and then quickly gave the school district a required ten-day notice that its members will strike unless the two groups are able to compromise on a contract.
“The district is at a point where it seems like we can’t get more movement from either side unless we’re at a crisis," said Bonilla.
Both the union and PPS have set aside October 30th and 31st for mediation, but the district said it doesn't want to wait that long.
“We have between now and Nov. 1st to reach an agreement and we are prepared right now to use every one of those days to reach an agreement," said Renard Adams, PPS Chief of Research, Assessment and Accountability.
A district official said Friday that the mediator had proposed multiple possible bargaining dates over the next 10 days, the first of which would be Tuesday, and the district had signaled that it could be available for all of them. Bonilla later said the union had confirmed next Wednesday and Thursday for mediation.
The union is asking for additional planning time, smaller class sizes and higher wages. PPS said that on average, teachers make over $87,000 dollars a year.
"We’ve asked for 8.5% the first year so we can catch up and keep up with the rest of the districts in the metro area," Bonilla said.
Adams said the district doesn't have enough money to meet the union's demands.
“Our teachers have received cost of living increases the past three years and our proposal that’s on the table would offer them 4.5 percent," he said.
If the district and the union are unable to come to an agreement, all Portland Public Schools would close, including daycare and pre-kindergarten. Varsity sports would be the only extracurricular activity that continues through the potential strike, the district said.
But both Adams and Bonilla said they want a solution, not a closure.
"We're willing to meet whenever they want to meet to get to this resolution," Bonilla said.