PORTLAND, Ore. — Wednesday will mark Day 9 that children have been out of Portland Public Schools, due to the ongoing teachers strike. The district announced the closure around 6 p.m., writing that they "remain eager to reach resolution as soon as possible" and will continue bargaining into the night.
Mediation resumed Tuesday morning, but PPS officials said progress in certain areas plateaued, and there's still disagreement on the numbers. KGW reached out to Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) but hasn't heard back to get their perspective on the current state of negotiations.
Students from kindergarteners to high school seniors remain out of the classroom filling their time while waiting for a deal.
"They miss it. They miss their teachers. They miss their classroom," said Rachel Lidskog-Lim. "Some of them were doing math just for fun, which I love."
In Southeast Portland, more than 30 kids played at a Sellwood Park, participating in a day camp not usually open this time of year. Lidskog-Lim runs Dance with Joy Studios, and had reopened it to help out families and back the teachers.
"I also just hear that they are confused," she said, "This is very confusing. We had the pandemic, which was very traumatic for many families, and now, we have this. They understand that it's not the teachers that are making the trouble. I hope that other people do too."
Close by, students of all ages laced up rollerblades at the Oaks Park Skating Rink, which extended its hours so kids had a place to go. But as fun as it is, some say, they want to be back in school.
"It's nice to have no school, but like, when's school going to start? I just kind of want it to start now," said fifth grader Stella Pohlman.
"I get bored really easily, so it's kind of hard to have this going on," said Billie Renz, "I also miss a lot of my friends from school."
Across the river, several young students said they feel the same way, while attending a "Paint You Pet" class with the Oregon Society of Artists.
"Second graders, they have to be a lot together," a student told KGW. "I don't like it; I'm okay with a three-day weekend but not the whole time to strike. I feel like it's better for us to just go back to school."