PORTLAND, Oregon — Portland Public Schools (PPS) and the teachers union have not yet reached an agreement, according to Dr. Renard Adams with PPS. During a press conference on Monday afternoon, Dr. Adams says $228 million is what's separating the district from what the teachers are asking for.
“It would be irresponsible for PPS to commit to an agreement that creates a huge fiscal cliff,” said Dr. Adams at the press conference. "We need our PAT (Portland Association of Teachers) partners to acknowledge this reality and our obligation to preserve students' instructional time. We need them to compromise.”
Dr. Adams says he's optimistic, adding it's now a matter of when a deal is reached, not if.
But this, of course, is leaving parents worried especially those without childcare.
Westside Dance and Gymnastics Academy in Tigard says they're adding temporary childcare for families if this strike ends up happening. Westside is a performing arts preschool that also has a dance and gymnastics program.
Current members will have first dibs ahead of non-members for this temporary childcare, according to co-owner Simone Fallgren. She says, families will have the option between a full day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or a half day from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Anyone interested in childcare with Westside, is asked to email Fallgren at sfallgren@westsideacademy.com.
"So many of our staff here have kids ourselves — mine are older now — so, I can't imagine what it would be like to be in a position where every day is unknown, especially if you don't work from home,” Fallfren said. “I think it's unfortunate that they have to add this to their already stressful plate. So if we can offer any help in any capacity."
A group of local parents at Rigler Elementary in Northeast Portland have started a Google Form where they can exchange their needs in terms of childcare and what they can offer during the strike.
"I think it's very important to remember that teachers don't want to go on strike, and of course, parents don't want anybody to go on strike because it's incredibly challenging. Right?" said Magali Rabasa, a parent organizer at the school.
She has been working on a plan for families if schools close on Wednesday.
“We are having conversations about the basic needs of teachers and families in the event of a strike,” said Rabasa. “That means support for the teachers on the picket line and it also means support for families around things like childcare."
Rabasa says the goal here is to provide support for those most vulnerable families.
“What we are trying to do with this is not leave anybody or let anybody feel alone. We have a lot of newcomer families and immigrant families in our schools who don't have established networks of support in the community yet. So we want to say, 'Hey, here's a place to connect in a way to connect with other families.'"
Here's what teachers are asking for: more planning time in their weeks to work on lesson plans, grading and outreach to parents, smaller classroom sizes and more pay. Teachers say they want an 8.5% increase this year, but the district has offered 4.5%.
If a deal is not met by Wednesday, 45,000 PPS students will be out of school. This will be the first-ever PPS teacher strike.