November 1, 2023, the Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) after months of unsuccessful bargaining sessions with the district and the full support of their members, declared a strike.
On Halloween day, I went to school at 3 p.m. to pick up our 11-year-old son Seamus. Since September, we had received emails from the district’s leaders preparing us for the possibility of a strike. Now, it was happening. As I arrived and watched students departing, it was a surreal moment, triggering painful memories of pandemic school-closures and echoes of familiar reassurances that this “would be temporary and over soon.”
The kids were acting themselves, oblivious to a looming strike. Students were far more interested in scheming about the evening ahead and discussing their plans to trick-or-treat. I felt the exact opposite, struggling to disguise distress and frustration as I stared into the abyss around the corner.
Seamus chose to dress up this Halloween in a black and white striped shirt as a referee. Ironically, like all school-age kids in Portland, he is now having to make up his own rules and routines as those provided by schools and his teachers have vanished overnight.
Along with 1 in 5 students in Portland’s schools, Seamus experiences a disability that make school routines and specialized instruction essential to his development — the absence of any school supports and the prolonged length of this strike are clearly impacting him.
Seamus doesn’t know why he’s home again every day. He doesn’t understand the fragile nature of the educational system in gridlock around him. But I do believe he and many other students and their families are taking note as basic rules, trust, and agreements are getting tested and torn around them. The social fabric that is critical for holding our schools and communities together is fraying.
I worry about the long-term consequences of the strike which is simultaneously exposing, eroding, and attempting to eradicate long standing problems in our state and local educational system. As teachers rally day after day, it seems like their goalpost is moving further away as negotiations are stalling & tensions are rising.
At some point each day since Halloween, Seamus asks us, “Seamus, school?” seeking some confirmation from us that he will be returning to class.
I’m sure for most parents in Portland, there’s no easy way to answer this question. I know some parents are baking cookies or joining teachers to show solidarity on the picket line. But, I also imagine many parents are struggling right now to walk the fine line between supporting teachers while also advocating for the basic rights of their children to be back in the classroom where they belong.
The strike
As of this post, Portland’s 43,000 students have been home for over two weeks without any indication of when they will be able to return to their classrooms.
Today, we prepared offers to reduce educators' workload and maximize planning time. Schools will remain closed tomorrow (Nov. 17), and meals will continue to be served. For locations and further information, visit pps.net/strikeresources
-email sent from Portland Public Schools every day at 7 p.m. (it hasn’t changed)
There are many issues swirling around the bargaining table from educators seeking cost of living increases and class size reductions to updates to Special Education & school discipline policies. On the other hand, district leaders are publishing “final” offers and sharing financial reports in an attempt to convince union leaders that district and state reserves are meager at best.
Admittedly, it has been maddening from a parent’s perspective to track what exactly is going on as there are mixed messages coming from all sides as well as from local and national media. In a sense, it is reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic when nobody knew where to turn for updates on infection rates or testing services. But now, Portland is the only city experiencing disequilibrium & uncertainty.
Broad brush updates reported from the negotiation table are not encouraging — the union and district can’t even agree over basic facts, such as how much money exists in the district and state’s coffers. Union leaders have reported feeling “insulted” by a recent offer from the district’s bargaining team.
As the strike goes on, a myriad of issues bubble to the surface for me — especially as I reflect back to a year ago when I was working in Portland Public Schools.
In my role, I visited many of the district’s schools. Although funding and resources are core issues at the heart of this and other teachers’ strikes nationally, I believe another aspect of this strike relates to how district-level support is delivered & perceived by educators. I also think the strike is about how to support an ever increasing stream of children entering Portland’s schools whose mental health and behavioral needs schools are ill-equipped to manage and yet expected to address.
Here’s one of many cases I encountered:
I worked with one school team to support a student to simply enter their classroom safely for 1 hour a day of instruction (fully clothed and with shoes on). Rapid Response Team members worked for 3 weeks with this school, often in the parking lot where the student was dropped off, brainstorming tactics with the teacher, principal, and counselor to help this student access their education. Despite our efforts, the student’s mother moved him out of the district, and we closed the case. Like many other students we tried to help, we rarely got closure or a sense if anyone had really benefitted from our support.
In part 2, I’ll share and reflect on my lived experiences working as a Program Administrator in Portland Public Schools (union leaders have been advocating to cut management positions like this one).
The district-wide program I oversaw, the Rapid Response Team, was created in 2016 through a similar bargaining session between the district and the teacher’s union.
A few days ago, the district proposed tripling the size of this team as part of their bargaining proposal. The union’s leaders pushed back and countered with a proposal to create 9 teams (similar to Rapid Response) housed in schools and serving clusters across the city.
Like most other items on the bargaining table in Portland, no agreement has been reached so far and the two sides seem far apart.
TBD…
In my next post, I’ll share some of what I observed and heard from educators and why crisis or short-term supports alone will NOT LIKELY make things any better for students, educators, or families.
Dear HIPS readers — the Portland strike has definitely disrupted many people’s work and personal lives in the Rose City. I am no exception! I am looking forward to getting back on a bi-weekly publishing schedule soon.
In the meantime, I do hope to keep writing and reporting when I can on aspects of the strike since I do believe it is a bellwether and will likely be a story that will play out in other cities and districts in the coming months and years.
At least 2 other teachers’ unions in Oregon have threatened strikes and national labor leaders are coming to Portland to take notes and advocate for wider-scale actions elsewhere.
See you soon & as always, you can reach me at eoinbastable@gmail.com.