Abigail Shimniok

Teachers for the Portland Public School District have reached a tentative deal to end the three-week strike that started on Nov. 1.
The strike was the longest teaching strike in 2023 with nearly 4,000 educators participating.
Portland’s first-ever teaching strike lasted 11 instructional days when factoring in weekends and holidays.
Angela Bonilla, president of the Portland Association of Teachers union campaigned along with thousands of educators to ratify the district’s contract agreement with teachers.
Changes to the contract would provide teachers with mental health support, smaller class sizes and cost of living compensation agreements.
The updated contract has yet to be approved by the union, but classes are allowed to resume. “This contract is a watershed moment for Portland students, families and educators,” Bonilla stated. “Educators walked picket lines alongside families, students, and allies — and because of that, our schools are getting the added investment they need.”
Reed Scott-Schwalbach, president of the Oregon Education Association wrote, “This is a transformative deal that will improve the lives of students in Portland and have far-reaching positive effects for our students across the rest of the state.” He went on to call the tentative agreement “historic.”
In strikes across the nation, more teachers have started arguing for better wages and support from school districts, citing the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an extreme amount of stress to be placed on teachers.
Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, wrote in a statement posted to X, formally known as Twitter, citing that post-pandemic teaching remains a challenge as more students have greater academic and social needs. The proposed agreement “fairly compensates PPS teachers and gives them the resources and support they need to provide their students with a path to success,” Bonamici wrote.