PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Officials with Portland Public Schools spoke at a Friday morning press conference after members of the teachers union formally announced their notice of intent to strike starting November 1.
With 93% of its union members voting, the vote was in majority favoring to authorize a strike, union officials said.
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The district says they have not scheduled another bargaining date as of yet. But they are still holding out hope for a mediation process to take place on or before October 30 and 31.
“We need our educators to come back to the table so we can continue to bargain so we can make an agreement and reach consensus,” said Renard Adams, Chief of Research Assessment and Accountability with Portland Public Schools. “We are wanting to do everything we can at all costs to not have schools close.”
Adams, who was once a special education teacher, wishes he “could give our teachers the world,” but it all comes down to available resources.
“We are not sitting on $100 million,” Adams continued. “We are spending that money down this year to balance our budget.”
Members of the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) spoke earlier Friday morning and offered their perspectives.
“With this overwhelming mandate from our educators and after PPS has not made significant strides or movement toward meaningful improvements for our students, we are also giving our 10-day notice, pending our executive board’s approval this Sunday,” PAT President Angela Bonilla said.
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This strike will keep over 45,000 students home from class as the strike effectively closes the nearly 90 schools in Portland.
If the mediation fails, this would be the first strike in PPS history.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as the story develops.
