PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Public Schools (PPS) and the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) reached a tentative deal Sunday that will end the nearly month-long teachers strike and allow classes to resume. Students will be back in the classroom Monday, with school resuming after a two-hour delay.
The tentative agreement includes a plan to make up missed school days over the rest of the year.
Part of that plan cuts winter break nearly in half, with students and staff (and their families) giving up five days of the holiday break, from Dec. 18-22. Other make-up days include three previously scheduled non-school days between January and April and three designated inclement weather days from June 12-14.
Winter break was previously scheduled to start Saturday, Dec. 16 and end Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 with students returning to class on Jan. 2. Under the terms of the new agreement, it begins instead on Saturday, Dec. 23 and ends Jan. 1.
The agreement outlines the following re-entry plan and schedule for make-up days:
Re-entry and make-up days schedule
- Monday, Nov. 27, 2023 - First day of classes, two-hour late opening for students
- Dec. 18-22, 2023 - Converted from winter-break holiday days off to student instructional days
- Jan. 11-12, 2024 - Parent-teacher evening conferences (rescheduled from Nov. 20-21; two additional dates for evening conferences will be decided at a later date)
- Jan. 26, 2024 - Converted from teacher planning day to student instructional day
- Feb. 19, 2024 - Converted from non-work holiday to student instructional day
- April 8, 2024 - Converted from optional teacher planning day to student instructional day
- May 30, 2024 - Adjusted to full day for seniors (high school only)
- June 12-14, 2024 - Converted from inclement weather make-up days to student instructional days
According to the language in the tentative agreement, additional inclement weather make-up days will be discussed no later than April 30, 2024, if necessary.
The last day of school in Portland was previously scheduled for June 11. There were four possible snow make-up days listed on the district calendar, including Feb. 19 (President's Day) and June 12, 13 and 14. As listed above, all of those days and several teacher planning days will now be used for make-up instruction.
Parent-teacher conferences that were previously scheduled for Nov. 20 and 21 have been rescheduled to take place in the evening hours ("no more than 3 hours per evening," the tentative agreement states) on Jan. 11-12 and on two other dates that will be decided and announced later.
Educators from across the district's 81 schools began their strike on Nov. 1, citing a laundry list of demands that went unresolved in contract negotiations beginning early this year — chief among them teacher salaries, class sizes and planning time.
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