PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland Public Schools confirmed to KOIN 6 Thursday night that the union representing the district’s educators voted to authorize a strike.
The Portland Association of Teachers notified PPS of their plan to strike starting Nov. 1 after a series of bargaining attempts spanning several months. The sixth and final mediation session took place Tuesday night with no agreement.
“We hope they will come back to the bargaining table and work with us to negotiate a resolution, but we have also made contingency plans if they strike,” said PPS Chief of Staff Jonathan Garcia in a message sent to families.
Both sides previously told KOIN 6 they would work to schedule additional bargaining dates, though PPS held a contingency plan meeting for families Wednesday night.
According to PPS, the district would need to close its schools during the strike.
“That will mean no in-person class or online instruction, although we have provided limited resources to support learning. To support learning from home, we will send all K-2 families a survey to assess your technological needs, and we will ensure any student who needs a device has access to one,” Garcia said.
District officials also said they are unsure how long the strike would last in response to families’ concerns about whether it would extend through the school year.
“We want to reach a fair, sustainable settlement, and we will stay at the bargaining table as long as it takes to get there,” said Garcia. “We ask our educators to stay at the table with us, not close schools.”
PPS says that Grab-and-Go meals would be provided during the strike.
Stay with KOIN 6 as we receive more information.
