PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland-area lawmakers and leaders from the Portland teacher’s union joined together Monday morning, calling on Portland Public Schools to compromise and reach a deal — suggesting that entreaties from striking teachers have received some receptive ears in Salem.
Portland teachers were out on the picket lines for the fourth day Monday, calling for what they consider a fair contract with Portland Public Schools. Classes were canceled again for Tuesday after the Portland Association of Teachers and Oregon's largest school district failed to reach a deal during the day's mediation session.
The district called out state lawmakers in recent weeks, saying that schools did not receive sufficient funding during last year’s legislative session. Lawmakers pushed back on Monday, saying that they gave K-12 schools the $10.3 billion dollars they asked for last spring and then some.
“We were, on top of that, able to put an additional hundred-plus million dollars for early literacy,” said Michael Dembrow, Senate Education Committee Chair.
Elizabeth Steiner, Senate co-chair of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, added, "We have provided historic levels of funding, but it is the district’s responsibility to meet that."
The district said the $10.3 billion didn't cover any new spending, and they would need an additional $200 million dollars to meet teacher's demands. Lawmakers said they can't send any more money the district's way.
“We cannot — never have, shouldn’t, probably can’t statutorily or constitutionally — go in and give any one district extra funds,” Steiner said.
A state law dating back to the 1990s ensures all of Oregon’s K-12 schools get an equal share.
"We provide an amount that gets each school to an identical amount of funding per student based on formulas, and then it’s up to the district to figure that out,” Steiner explained.
The lawmakers said that when it comes to reaching that fair deal, there will have to be compromises on both sides. They're hoping a deal can be met that leaves teachers feeling respected.
“(The students) can’t afford to wait for the district to make them a priority, so educators will stay on the picket lines until the district comes to the table ready to make a fair deal," said Jacque Dixon, vice-president of the Portland Association of Teachers.
And Portland is not alone — leaders from other Oregon teachers unions were in Salem Monday and shared similar financial concerns with KGW.
But Portland Public Schools maintains that teachers unions across the state are making expensive proposals while state funding continues to fall short of where it should be; and the district argues that because they are located in a large city, they have more expenses.
“Thank you to our legislators. However, making further investments, like in our workforce now, requires either increased revenue or dramatic budget reductions,” said Guadalupe Guerrero, superintendent of Portland Public Schools, in a Monday morning press conference.
Guerrero said the district made progress with the union over the weekend on the issue of planning and preparation time. However, he said they're still stuck on other issues, such as wage increase and just how much money is available in the district budget.
"There are many areas that are important to our Portland Association of Teachers. We would argue that they are important to us as well," he said. "We have finite resources, so we can do more in one area and a little less than some other areas — or we could do a little bit in all the areas. But what we can't do is turn up the dials in every area because that is simply not viable."
Both sides told KGW they'd like students back in the classrooms as soon as possible. The bargaining team for the district said Monday they would go into the night, into the week and into the weekend if necessary to reach an agreement with educators.
Educators and supporters gathered Monday afternoon in and around Peninsula Park, calling on the district to meet the union's demands for cost of living increases and to cap class sizes.
"This is a public school district and they are supposed to work for our children," said dual language immersion teacher Langston Hamilton. "They are not working for our children, and we are out here to tell them how to work for our children ... We are asking them to cut administrative costs and put that money in our schools because right now we have so many schools that are underfunded, and not receiving the support they need."