The top issues include compensation, student discipline, class size caps, and using school resources to provide housing for students of homeless families.

In keeping with the current inflation rate, Portland Public Schools is offering a cumulative 10.9% cost-of-living increase over the next three years: 4.5% in the first year, then 3% in the second year, and then 3% in the third year. The district has also offered to raise the salary for starting educators by 3.4%. These increases would make our starting educators the highest paid teachers in the metro area's six largest districts.

PAT wants a 23% cost-of-living increase over the next three years: 8.5% in the first year of the contract, then 7% in the second year, and then 6% in the third year.

The district initially offered 2.5% for each year of the contract, then raised our offer to 3% for each year of the contract, then raised our offer to 4%/3%/3%, and most recently 4.5%/3%/3%. PAT has not changed their offer.

The district has also offered a $3,000 stipend per year for special education educators, including school psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and qualified mental health professionals funded by special education.

PAT has accepted the district's proposal to eliminate mandatory 5-day suspensions in favor of an indefinite exclusion until a Tier III plan is in place. We continue to believ student exclusion is the wrong way to handle discipline, but we are grateful for this progress.

Portland Public Schools believes more discretion is required to match consequences to student misbehavior. That belief comes from years and years of student discipline records that show Black and Brown students are far more likely to be referred, suspended, and sent to disciplinary hearings, as are special education students.

Both sides agree optimal class sizes benefit student learning.

PAT is calling for a hard cap on the number of students that can be in a class. Once a hard cap is reached, a student would not be able to join a class. This could force the district to hire an additional educator, assuming that was possible. If there were no other classrooms, it would mean a student would need to attend another school away from the child’s neighborhood. For older students, it could mean missing an elective that might inspire a new passion – or missing a graduation requirement.

PAT notified the district that it intended to strike on Nov. 1. Further mediation is scheduled in hopes that school closures can be avoided.

We are committed to good-faith bargaining and a student-centered, sustainable contract that honors our teachers and their critical work.

If teachers strike, Portland Public Schools would have no choice but to close schools. That would mean no in-person class or online instruction. This could disrupt critical work to close pandemic-related learning losses, and put significant pressure on families – especially those with elementary-age children.

The district has released its contingency plans should a strike happen.